Time in Camelot
by AnaDona
Summary: AU. Isabella's life in the 21st century was nothing interesting. She didn't have much, and it was the same thing every day. But when she wakes up and finds herself surrounded by Knights of Camelot, how will she react? Arthur/OC.
1. Farms and Camelot

**A/N: Okay, you guys asked for it and here it is. My second Merlin fic, I hope you all enjoy. Remember to leave a review and let me know.**

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She stretched her back and let out a groan. It was yet another boring day in her unbearable life. There was a hammering on her door. "Get up you worthless girl. The weather is turning and you need to bring all the sheep back. Now get up!" A man's voice yelled.

"Sorry uncle. I'll head out now." She called back, jumping out of bed and pulling on her jeans and the thickest jumper she could find. She looked at her boots and let out a sigh. They were worn, and the hole on the sole was growing. Maybe, if she was lucky and asked nicely, she could get a new pair. "As if." She snorted, grabbing her coat from the back of the door.

An hour later and she was out on the field, with the wind and rain pounding hard against her. Her chestnut brown hair, although tied up in a bun, was soaked through. "God, I hate my life. Mum, dad, if you can hear me, I hate uncle Don with a passion." She looked up at the sky and saw a flash of lightening. "I love the farm, I just hate him."

It was true, she had always loved the farm. But when her parents died, it was her uncle who had to take her in. He just saw her as another farm hand, he didn't care that she was family, she was free help. He always gave her the worst tasks, or the jobs none of the lads wanted to do.

"Be grateful I even let you stay here." He would say to her. "Nothing is free in life, if you want to live, you have to work." Was something else he would tell her when she complained.

She looked around the field and saw the sheep scattered, and trying to shelter under the trees. She was going to have a right job getting them all back down to the farm. "Shot me now!" She called, throwing her arms wide and making herself a prime target for no one. Her amber eyes closed tightly against the harsh weather.

At that precise moment there was another flash of lightening, the girl let out a scream as it hit her full on the chest. Then she fell to the ground, her body completely limp and still. The rain continued to pour down and the wind didn't let up either.

'_So, this is what it's like to die? Thought it would be a little less dramatic. Oh well._' She thought, before completely blacking out.

0000

'_Oh, boy does my head hurt._' I thought, feeling the searing pain across the back of my head. '_What happened, exactly?_' I wondered, still not trying to move. I knew I was lying on my back on the ground, and I knew I was soaking wet as well.

"Sire, I think you had better come here." A man's voice called. It was a voice I didn't recognise. '_Hang on, he did say sire?_' I wondered what the hell was going on.

"What it is? What have..." The new voice, another man, stopping in his tracks. I could hear the rustling of papers.

"This is the seal of the royal house of Lagoon." The first man said.

"So she's royal?" I wondered what they were talking about. First of all, they were talking slightly strange. And second of all, who the hell were they talking about?

"It is possible, sire. But what she is doing here I cannot tell you. The kingdom of Elbear is at least 6 days of riding away."

By that point I was fed up and decided that it was time for me to wake up from my crazy dream. I slowly forced my eyes to open, only to have to squint in the bright sunlight that was filtering through the trees. I moved my hand to shield my eyes a little and groaned some more from the pain I was feeling.

"Are you okay, My Lady?" The first man asked me. I turned my head and saw a he was wearing chain mail, and a long red cloak. I also noticed the dragon embroidered onto the left shoulder of it.

"I would say yes, but I was brought up not to tell lies." I said weakly, as I tried to push myself to sit up.

"I am Sir Leon of Camelot." He said, helping me up a little. "Can you remember your name?"

"Isabella. I think." I told him, clutching hold of my head. Sitting up may not have been a very good idea, everything was now spinning. I noticed the other man standing behind him. He was tall, with blonde hair and the most amazing blue eyes I had ever seen.

"Do you remember what happened, Lady Isabella?" Sir Leon asked me, kneeling at my side.

I didn't know what to really say. It was clear from my surroundings that I was no longer back in the field, and the way these people were dressed, I wasn't sure I knew where I was. "I remember a storm. I saw a flash of lightening, then nothing I'm afraid." I wasn't sure why I was speaking the way I was. '_Just play along with it I guess.'_

"Are you hurt at all?" He asked. For the first time I noticed what I was wearing. It was certainly not the jeans and jumper I had left the farmhouse in earlier. I was sitting there on the ground in a long, rich dress. The vibrant green fabric was torn in several places.

"I think I may have hit my head." I told him, moving my hand to the back of my head where it hurt the most. I felt something wet and sticky in my hair, and when I pulled my hand away I found it covered in a red liquid. "Oh lovely, it would appear my head is bleeding." I mumbled.

That was when the blonde man finally spoke. "Merlin, get over here now!" He bellowed. I just looked at him curiously. He had not stopped looking at me the entire time. I was about to say something to him when another man appeared. He was skinny and had dark hair. His eyes were also something different, I couldn't quiet tell what colour they were.

"Merlin, this is Lady Isabella. Her head is injured, do what you can." The blond man ordered before wandering off, taking Sir Leon with him.

"Hello, I'm Merlin." The young man said as she crouched down next to me.

"Isabella." I said nervously. Only now was I starting to worry. I was in a strange place, with strange people. I had no idea what was going on, and I didn't know how to react.

"Mind if I take a look at your head?" He asked. I shrugged my shoulders and turned my head a little so that he could see the mess. I heard him gasp a little before I felt something cold and wet on my head. I couldn't stop a hiss of pain from leaving my lips. "Sorry, I need to clean it up. We wouldn't want it to get infected."

"Sorry, and thank you." I said quietly.

"It's nothing. But we're going to need to get that looked at properly. The best I can do is clean it really." He said, dabbing the back of my head with a cloth.

I stayed quiet, trying my best not to flinch when he touched my head. "We need to head back to Camelot." The blonde man announced, walking back over to us. "Lady Isabella, you shall ride with us."

I looked up at him. "I thank you, kind sir, but I do not ride with people I do not know. I thank you for your help but I shall be fine here." I said firmly, keeping my eyes locked with his.

"I am Prince Arthur of Camelot, you are safe with me and my knights." He didn't take his eyes from mine either. It was as if we were having a staring competition.

"How can I be sure you are who you say, sir? My memory is not in a good condition currently, and I barely remember who I am." I asked him, as Merlin helped me to stand up. I swayed a little from head rush and dizziness but he kept a firm hold and kept me balanced.

"You have my word, Lady Isabella."

"I am expected to accept the word of a stranger? One who claims to be the Prince of Camelot?" I was not going to accept that was who he was so easily. Finding out that there was someone there called Merlin was laughable enough, hearing they were from Camelot was almost too much, but Prince Arthur as well? No, that really was taking it too far.

"If you shall not come willingly, then I shall have to force you. I will not leave a Lady out here on her own, especially not with the injuries you have." He was being very demanding, and from the way he was acting, I couldn't help but think that maybe he was a prince. He seemed to have the attitude.

"And how shall you force me, sir, if I refuse?" I asked, folding my arms across my chest and taking a stand. The next thing I knew he had thrown me over his shoulder and was carrying me towards some horses. "Unhand me, sir." I yelled, knowing that trying to kick through his armour was pointless.

"Do you agree to come with us?" He asked, stopping a short distance from the horses and the rest of his party.

"No, I most certainly do not." I told him firmly. So he carried on walking, everyone was staring at us, and it just made me feel even more uncomfortable. "Put me down, this instant or you shall regret it." I threatened.

And then, to my surprise, he did put me down. "And what exactly are you going to do?" He asked, a smirk on his face.

I don't know what came over me, but the next thing I knew I was holding his sword, and pointing it at his throat. I wanted to laugh at the man, the look on his face was priceless. He was shocked, and terrified at the same time.

I decide it was time to find a little courage. "I am telling you, sir, to leave. Take your knights and leave me alone. I do not know who you are, or where I even am. I'm scared, angry, and wielding a sword." I could feel the adrenalin rushing through me, but I knew it wasn't going to last much longer.

"Fine. Hand me back my sword and we shall leave you here to die." The man said, trying not to show his fear.

"Swear to me, that you will leave me." I ordered, moving the point of the sword closer to his throat.

Before he had a chance to respond, my vision blurred and the world started spinning again. I felt the sword drop out of my hand. Someone put their arms around me before I fell forward. Then I blacked out.

0000

"The seal is genuine, sire. And she bares the ring of Lagoon as well. There is no doubt in my mind that this she is Princess Isabella Lagoon of Elbear." I could hear men talking. They were not the ones who I had spoken to earlier. Not that I could really remember much of what happened earlier.

"And Arthur found her, alone and injured in the woods."

"Indeed it is strange, sire. But until she wakes, we are not going to be able to find out why she was there nor what happened to her."

I carried on listening to the conversation. One of them was being called sire, and that meant they were royal. I really didn't want to deal with any more royal prats, so I waited until I heard them leave.

When I opened my eyes I found I was no longer in the woods. I was laying in a rather nice, four poster bed with a canopy. The sheets that were over me were soft and warm, a warmth that I had not slept in for a long time. I managed to push myself up on my elbows and was about to look around the room some more when I spotted the blonde man from earlier sitting in a chair by the bed.

"Good. You're awake." I instantly threw myself back down, and instantly regretted it.

"Ow." I moaned, feeling the pain in the back of my head from where it had been cut open. "Please tell me this is all just some terrible nightmare and that I am going to wake up from it soon." I asked, holding my breath.

"This is not a dream. As I told you before, I am Prince Arthur. You passed out in the woods and were brought back to Camelot." I let out the breath that I had been holding. "Is there a reason that you detest my kingdom so much?"

Clearly my breath had sounded like a rude sigh to him. "I shall admit I am not impressed with their prince." I told him, opening my eyes and looking at him. "He did bring me here against my will, after all."

"My father wishes to speak with you. I hope you show the King more manners than you have shown to me." He said, before standing up and walking towards the door.

"Well, maybe if you showed some manners, I would give you some in return. Treat others how you would wish to be treated." He just glared at me before leaving the room.

As soon as the door was closed I began to let the tears that I had been holding fall. I truly was scared. The only time I had ever heard of Camelot, Arthur and Merlin were in the legends and on television, so none of this could be real. I wondered, what if I really was dead? Or maybe I was back home in a coma or something. All I knew was that I was scared.

I was exhausted by the time someone came to the room I was in. I opened the door to see a woman with dark hair standing before me. "Lady Isabella, my name is Guinevere. I am the Lady Morgana's maid. I have been sent to assist you in preparing for your audience with the King."

I quickly wiped my eyes with the back of my hand. "Thank you, Guinevere." I said, backing away from the door a letting her step inside.

"Is everything alright, My Lady?" She asked, looking at me with a strange expression on her face.

"Yes, everything is fine." I lied. I couldn't very well tell her the truth now could I.

Guinevere managed to tidy up my hair for me, which was difficult considering the rather large and deep gash at the back. "Prince Arthur will be along shortly to escort you." She told me before bowing at me.

"Thank you for your kindness, Guinevere." I said before watching her leave.

As with what had happened when Arthur left the room, I broke down in tears again. I couldn't stop them, no matter how hard I tried. I was crying myself into exhaustion and failed to hear the gentle knocking on the door a little while later.

"Lady Isabella, I have come to…" He stopped talking when he saw me, huddled up on the floor against the cold, stone wall and crying silently with my head against my knees.

I quickly pushed myself up and wiped my eyes again. "Let us go then." My voice was trembling.

"Lady Isabella, are you alright?" There seemed to be a slight hint of concern in his voice.

"I'm fine." I told him, even know it was far from the truth.

"Are you sure, you seem…"

"I said I am fine." I snapped. "Sorry. May we please go and see the King now." I asked, hanging my head in shame. It wasn't very often that I snapped or got angry with people, but this man just seemed to make my blood boil.

I followed a pace or two behind him as we made our way to the throne room. It seemed there were a few people already there, waiting. I recognised some of them as the knights who were in the woods, and there was the dark haired man, Merlin, standing by an elderly man. I kept my head down until we stopped walking.

"My Lord, Princess Isabella Lagoon of Elbear." Arthur said, taking my hand and pulling me forwards.

I pulled my head up and was faced with an older man with a crown upon his head. I could only assume that he was the king. "Sire." I said, giving a little curtsey. I didn't know where all this stuff was coming from, but I was grateful for it.

"You are a long way from home, Princess Isabella. What has brought you this far?" The king asked me.

"I cannot say, sire, for I cannot remember. I remember nothing from before being found by the Prince and knights of Camelot." That was true. I didn't remember anything from before then, well nothing in this world anyway. I wasn't going to tell him that I was in the field, gathering the sheep, more than several centuries in the future.

"You can remember nothing?" The King asked. I wondered if he believed me or not.

"No, sire. I remember my name, Isabella, but I can remember nothing of where I come from or what it is like there. I do not even recall the names of my parents." Without realising, I let a single tear slip down my cheek.

"This is, indeed, most tragic. I insist that you stay here in Camelot, as my guest, until such a time as you have regained your memories." I was a little shocked at what the King had said. He was allowing a complete stranger stay in his castle. They would never happen back in my time.

"Thank you, sire, for your kindness." I said, bowing a little at him in respect.

"I shall send an envoy to Elbear. I am sure they are curious as to where their Princess has gone."

I wondered, would anyone there even know who I was? Was I really a princess? "I'm sure they are, sire. I dread to think what trouble I may have caused there."

After that I was dismissed and the prince escorted me back to my room in silence. "If you need anything, do not be afraid to ask. I am just down the hall." He pointed to another set of doors just a little further along the stone corridor.

"I thank you and your father for your kindness and hospitality." I said, bowing and keeping my head down.

"Gaius, the court physician, will be along shortly to tend to your wound. You took a very serious blow to the head it would seem." There it was again, that little hint of concern in his voice. "Do you really not remember anything apart from your name?"

I took a deep breath. "I do not, sire. As I have told you and your father, I remember nothing from before you and your knights finding me. I can only assume that the cause of my memory loss is the injury I have suffered."

If I had been looking, I would have surely noticed the sad look on the prince's face, but I was keeping all my attention on the ground beneath my feet. "Your possessions that we found scattered around you have been returned to you. You will find them in your chamber. I hope that you have a comfortable stay and that your memory soon returns." The Prince said to me.

"Thank you, sire. I apologise for my behaviour in the woods. It was unacceptable and un-lady like." Now I just wanted to be left alone. I was completely exhausted and wanted nothing more than to wake up and find this was all just a dream. A crazy dream, but none the less, a dream.

"There is no need to apologise. Perhaps tomorrow we can start afresh?" I nodded at him, but still refused to look at him. "I suggest you get some rest. I am sure that you need it after your ordeal."

"Yes, sire. Thank you." I said, bowing to him before placing my hand on the door. I wanted to look up at him, something inside me was urging me to do so, but I ignored it and swiftly made my way into the room I had been supplied with.

I went and sat by the window, looking out over the citadel and out to the rest of Camelot. It really was a magnificent sight to see. The sun was slowly beginning to set, and it just made it even more breath taking to look at. The sky was so clear, there was no pollution from cars or aeroplanes, the smog that would choke you if you weren't used to it was nowhere. The air was so fresh and breathable, something that I had been accustomed to since living with my uncle.

My uncle. I bet he wasn't missing me much. He was probably glad that I was gone, one less problem for him. The amount of times I wanted to leave that place, but never had the courage to do it. The numerous times I dreamed of another life, but feared what would happen if that life failed as well. I had always been seen as the scared little girl who would just do what she was told, who would do anything to please those around her.

My mother used to tell me that I had too big a heart, and I never really understood what she had meant by that. That was until her and my dad died, along with my twin brothers. I had only been a child when it happened, only 7 or 8, it's hard to remember. All I know was that I woke up in a hospital bed, my uncle sitting beside my bed. He told me that they were dead, all of them except for me.

We were heading up to the farm for the weekend, as we did quiet often. The weather was even worse that day, so bad that the roads were beginning to flood. He told me that the car veered off the road and went head on into a tree. I was the only one to make it out alive, barely a scratch on me, while my family died.

My uncle hated me from that moment on. His brother was dead, along with his sister-in-law and nephews. His least favourite was the only to live, and he had to take care of her. He would always blame me, because it was always me who wanted to visit him and the farm.

I had been living with him for over 10 years, and things only went from bad to worse. _'Well, I'm sure you're happy now, uncle Don. You don't have to look after me now, do you?'_ I thought bitterly.

I was pulled from my thoughts by a gentle knocking at the door. With a heavy sigh I pulled myself away from the window and went to see who it was. The old man I had seen with Merlin was standing there, with Merlin hovering a little behind him.

"I am Gaius, My Lady, the court physician." He said, bowing politely to me.

"The Prince informed me of your visit. Please, come in." I said, moving away from the door and allowing them to enter.

"How are you feeling, My Lady?" He asked as I closed the door and went to sit at the table he was putting his things down on.

"I have felt better, but I am sure I have felt a lot worse." I told him. It was true, of course I had felt better, but nothing could compare to the pain I felt when I lost my entire family.

I could see a smile creep on the young boys face. "May I look at your injury, My Lady?" Gaius enquired. I gestured for him to go ahead and he began to inspect my head. "The bleeding has stopped, which is a good sign."

"I am just glad there has been no more dizziness and I have not been leaving the contents of my stomach all over the place. Then I would fear I had more than just concussion." I said, not really thinking about what I was saying.

Merlin and Gaius both seemed a little shocked at what I had said. "My Lady, are you educated in medicine?" The elderly man asked me.

I bit my lip. I had always been interested in medicine, and helping the sick. I knew a fair amount, but I was no doctor. "I have some knowledge in that area." There was a moment of silence. "Gaius, do you think my memory will ever return?"

Both the men shared a look, a look that I could read instantly. "I am afraid I cannot say. The memory is a very fragile thing, My Lady. There may be certain things that can trigger the return, but that is not a definite. All we can do is wait and see." He said, before stepping away from where I was seated. "Your head should heal in time. If you feel ill at all you must let me know immediately."

"I will, thank you, Gaius." I watched as the old man bowed and headed out of the room, while Merlin still stood there, watching me carefully. "Is there something I can do you for, Merlin?" I asked, letting out a sigh.

"Arthur told me you were upset earlier and I just wanted to make sure you were alright." Something in his eyes told me that his task was genuine.

"I admit that I am not alright. I have no idea where I am from or who I even am. I am in a strange place, with strange people and have no idea how I even ended up here." I held my hands in my lap to stop them from shaking.

"I'm sure that in time you will remember everything. And in the mean time, the King has sent word to your kingdom. They might provide some of the answer that you are missing." I nodded at him a little. "And anyway, Camelot isn't such a bad place."

I laughed a little. "Oh no, of course not. From what I have seen from my window, it seems such a beautiful place. But I know there is more to Camelot, I know more than I should." I whispered the last part, not really meaning to say it out loud.

"What do you mean?" The servant asked me, looking at me curiously.

"I may not remember much of my personal past, but there are some things that I do remember. Such as King Uther and his fight against magic." I looked back over to the window, it was much darker now, clearly later than I had realised. "The land of Albion that will come about when Arthur is King. The land were magic is no longer feared." I let out s sigh. "That is not this time."

"But… how did you know all that?" I looked at Merlin and saw his wide eyes.

"As I said, I know more than I should. If you will excuse me, Merlin, I would like to rest now." I told him, getting up from the chair and moving towards the bed.

"Of course, My Lady. Sorry. I hope you sleep well." He said, bowing and making his way to the door.

"Thank you, Merlin. I hope you sleep well also." I said, before he disappeared out of the door. Once he was gone I collapsed on the bed. I didn't care about changing out of the gown I was in. I only cared for some sleep, and the hope that I would eventually wake up.

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**A/N: Okay, first chapter up. Another 20 chapters sitting on my computer ready to go. **

**I've updated my profile, putting this story into the active section now, and added some more of my unpublished ones. **

**So, remember to review and let me know what you think. She is going to be a lot different to Lillian in my other Merlin fix (for those of you who have read it). **

**Pippa.**


	2. Nightmares and Fears

**A/N: Just a quick thank you to those who have reviewed. Glad to see some people are giving my story a chance. And a thank you to all who have favourites/followed as well. You guys are awesome. **

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_There was another loud crash. Another part of the castle had been destroyed. There were guards and knights everywhere, the red blood soaking into the rich green of the colour of the kingdom. Someone had betrayed us, someone was intent on taking the throne for themselves. _

_There was only one person we could think of, Donald, my uncle. _

"_Bella, you have to get out of here." Someone told me, gripping my arms tightly. _

"_I cannot leave you all here, Dominic. If you are fighting then so am I." I told him, tightening my grip on the sword in my hand. _

"_Bella, you have to go. If we fail here tonight, then you are the only one who can rightfully take back the throne. You have to leave." Dominic told me desperately. _

"_I am as good a fighter as you and Mitch. You stand a better chance with me fighting with you." I protested. I knew I was not going to win, I never did when my overprotective brothers were involved. _

"_You are leaving, Isabella. And that is final." Dominic said firmly. _

_I was about to reply when the castle began to shake again. I rushed to the window and saw the fires tearing through the homes of our people. The city was in ruin, there was no way we were going to win this fight. But I didn't care, as long as I tried my hardest and fought with my family. _

"_I am not leaving my family." I told him, running off towards the throne room where I knew my mother and father were fighting. I was determined to help them, I was not going to let them die by the hands of my crazed and jealous uncle. _

_I threw open the doors to see my father already lying dead on the floor. My eyes were drawn to the man holding my mother by the throat. "Let her go, right now." I growled, feeling the pain and anger rising inside of me. _

"_Well, look who has finally grown a back bone. Decided to show a little courage for once, little girl?" He spat, an evil smirk reaching across his face. _

"_Unhand my mother this instant. You have already angered me by killing my father, I shall not let you kill my mother. I order you to unhand her and surrender." I shouted, taking a step closer. _

"_Oh, she is so full of fire, is she not Juliana?" He hissed in my mother's ear. I took another step forward, which my uncle did not seem to approve of. "On more step and I slit her throat." He snarled. _

_I stopped and glared at him. I knew he would do it, nothing was beyond this man who I used to call family. "Let her go." I ground out, my teeth clenched tightly. _

"_As you wish, princess." He said, before forcing his blade through my mother from behind her. _

_That's when I lost control. I was screaming, and crying. This man had just killed my mother right in front of me. And I had done nothing to stop him. I was a coward, scared and little. I didn't stop him, when I should have. I should have protected my parents better._

0000

Arthur was woken when he heared a woman screaming. Who ever it was, he had to admit, they had a pair of lungs on them to be screaming as loudly as they were. He jumped out of bed and pulled open the door to his chamber. The stone corridor was clear, but the screaming was louder. He grabbed his sword before heading back out into the corridor.

Without thinking, he ran down towards the chamber Princess Isabella was in. As he got closer, the screams became louder and clearer. He knew in an instant something was wrong. He didn't even bother to knock on the door, he threw it open and charged into the room, expecting there to be some kind of threat.

All he found was the Princess, thrashing around in her bed, screaming and crying. He discarded his sword as he ran to her side. "Isabella, wake up." He called, shaking her a little. "Isabella!" He yelled, shaking her a little more forcefully.

Her eyes flew open and Arthur saw the fear inside of them. She pulled herself away from him and jumped off the bed, huddling herself in a corner of the room.

"Isabella, it's me. Arthur. Do you remember?" He asked, staring at her wide, amber eyes. Slowly she nodded at him. "Don't be scared, I'm not going to hurt you." He told her as he slowly approached her.

She tried to back up a little, and seemed to panic when she realised there was nowhere to run. "I promise, I am not going to hurt you, Isabella." A second later there were two guards standing by the door.

"Sire, is everything alright? We heard screaming." One of them asked, looking from the prince to the princess.

Arthur took another look at the scared woman, watching the tears stream down her face. "Everything is fine. Wait outside." He ordered. The guards closed the door and left the pair alone. "Isabella, do you know where you are?" He asked her softly, taking another slow step towards her, doing his best not to frighten her any more.

She nodded at him. "Camelot. You're Prince Arthur. You found me in the woods and brought me here, against my will." She whispered.

"You're never going to let me forget that, are you?" He asked, sitting down on the cold floor next to her. She shook her head. "Are you alright?" He asked, not taking his eyes off her. He could see just how scared she was, and he wanted to know why. She just shook her head at him again. "Will you tell me why?"

For a moment he thought she was just going to shake her head at him again, but she closed her eyes tightly before speaking to him. "I just had a bad dream, that's all." She whispered.

"Care to tell me about it?" He was still speaking to her softly. It was a way he had never really spoken to anyone before, but there was something about this woman, something he couldn't work out.

"I think… I think maybe it was a memory. But I don't know." Even with her eyes closed, the tears were still escaping.

"What was happening?"

"I don't want to talk about it. If it is a memory, then I do not wish to remember it." She answered weakly. "Thank you for your concern, sire. But I suggest you return to your chambers now. I am sure you have more important things to do than worry over me."

Arthur frowned at her. "You know, my name is Arthur. I believe it is acceptable for you to call me that instead of sire all the time." She didn't move or reply to him. "Do you wish for me to send for Gaius?"

"No, as I said, it was only a dream. There is no need to bother him with something so trivial." Isabella told him, trying to stop the tears from continuously rolling down her cheeks.

Arthur was at a loss with what to do. It was clear that she was upset, but she didn't seem to want to talk about it to him. "Are you sure you shall be okay on your own?" He asked her after several minutes of silence.

"I shall be fine, sire. I am sorry for waking you." Isabella said, finally opening her eyes.

He could still see the fear inside her. Whatever had happened had seriously scared her, but he could see she was not going to tell him what it was. "You know where I am if you need me. And please, call me Arthur."

He waited to see if she was going to respond, but when she didn't he pushed himself off the cold stone and left her alone in her room. "I want this corridor patrolled constantly for the rest of the night. If you hear any sound coming from Princess Isabella's chamber, you are to notify me immediately, is that understood?" The guards nodded at him and he went back to his own chamber.

After tossing his sword to one side, he threw himself back on his bed. He was wide-awake now, and his mind was full of thoughts of the Princess in the chamber so close to him. He thought back to the moment he first laid eyes on her, he hadn't been able to look anywhere else but at her. And then the swiftness in which she managed to grab his sword, while it was still sheathed, and threaten him with it. That had impressed him more than anything else.

0000

I was relieved when he finally left, but I didn't move from my spot on the floor. Had that really been just a dream? Or was it a memory of my life here? I was even more confused now than I had been before.

After a while I decided it was too cold on the floor and so I sat myself by the window again. For some reason I found it calming and comfortable, looking out over Camelot. I still found it hard to believe that I was there, living in the legend. There had been a series on the television called Merlin, something that I had watched for a while.

Now that I thought about it, the people I was seeing now looked the spitting image of the actors that played them. Maybe I really was in a coma, and I was living in a television show. _'Yeah, right. Get a grip Isabella. You are really starting to lose it now'_ I thought to myself.

I looked up at the night sky and saw the moon shining brightly. It was amazing what you could see without the pollution of a big city and lights.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't notice when the sky became brighter and the sun appeared low on the horizon. What disturbed me was a knocking at the door. With what little energy I had, I dragged myself to the door and pulled it open.

"Good morning, My Lady. Did you sleep well?" Guinevere asked as I stepped away from the door and back over to the window.

"I'm afraid I did not, Guinevere. I believe the loss of my memory has put me under some stress." I told her, watching as the rest of the city began to wake.

"I'm sorry to hear that, My Lady. And please, call me Gwen." She said as she started to remove the sheets from the bed.

"Then I insist you call me Isabella." I said, giving her a small smile.

"Have you ever visited Camelot before, Isabella?" She asked me, bundling the bed sheets into a basket.

"Not that I can recall. I'm sure I would have remembered visiting somewhere as enchanting as this before." I told her, getting lost in the view again.

I heard Gwen laugh a little. "I've heard Camelot be called many things before, enchanting is not one of them."

"Oh, I can think of many other words to describe this place, but I do not think any of them will do it justice." I turned to face her and saw that she was smiling at me. "Tell me about yourself, Gwen. I do not know anyone in Camelot."

"Well, I'm the daughter of a blacksmith. My mother died when I was younger and my brother disappeared." I noticed the sadness in her voice.

"I'm sorry, Gwen. It must be hard for you." I knew that it was hard for me, I lost my whole family.

"I still have my father. And hope, that one day my brother will return." There was a forced smile on her face. "It must be harder for you, not even knowing if you have a family."

"I know that I used to. I must have a mother and father. At least at some point." That caused me to think back to that dream. The names, my brothers, they were real. Dominic and Mitchel, they really were my brothers, and Juliana was my mother's name. My father was called Peter, and then there was uncle Donald.

There was another knocking at the door and Gwen went and answered it. "Hi, Gwen. Is Princess Isabella awake?" She stepped aside and let him enter the room. "Good morning, Princess Isabella. Prince Arthur asked me to check on you, make sure you were alright this morning."

I let out a sigh. "You can tell the Prince that I am fine."

"He, um, said that if you said that then he wanted me to take you to see him." Merlin said to me nervously.

I moved myself away from the window. "Fine, let's go then." I said in a huff.

"My Lady, did you not want to change first? Are those not the clothes you were wearing yesterday?" Even Gwen seemed concerned.

I looked down at what I was wearing, my tattered green dress. "This is the only dress I own. And if the Prince wishes to see me, I shall not keep him waiting." I said, heading for the door.

Merlin was quick to beat me there and held it open for me. I thanked him before following him down the corridor and to Arthur's chamber, where Merlin failed to knock and just walked right in.

"Merlin, how many times have I told you about knocking?" The Prince said, looking up from the papers on the table in front of him.

"You wished to see me, sire?" I said, stepping past the dark haired man and closer to the prince.

"Ah, Princess Isabella. How are you this morning?" He asked, looking at me with concern.

"As I have told Merlin, I am fine. But it would appear he had orders for me to see you if that was what I said." I wasn't exactly happy to have been summoned to see him. In fact, I wanted to stay away from him as much as possible.

"Yes, because I was concerned for you after what happened." Our eyes locked and I saw it again, that little hint of concern.

I kept my composure, I was not going to show any sign of weakness. "Sire, I thank you for your concern, but as you can see, apart from the blow to the head and memory loss there is no other damage."

"That was not what I was referring to, My Lady. I refer to the incident that occurred during the night." I could tell from the way he was looking at me that he didn't want to disclose anything else in front of Merlin.

"I assure you, it was only a nightmare. In future I shall try to not wake you. Maybe it would be better suited if I were to reside in a part of the castle where I am less likely to disturb anyone." I suggested. I didn't think it was actually too bad of an idea. A nice quiet part where people would leave me alone.

I saw him raise an eyebrow at me. "Last night I believe you only called it a dream."

"One tends to call a bad dream a nightmare." I informed him politely.

He let out a sigh of defeat. "I have some information here that you might like to look at. I had the royal record keeper find out what he could on your family and kingdom. I thought it might help you with your memory."

I eye him suspiciously before taking a step closer. "And why would you do that, sire?"

He seemed taken back by my comment, but I think it was a fair question to ask. He knew nothing about me and yet seemed too willing to help me. "Clearly you are upset about not remembering anything. I only thought this may help."

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, I was starting to lose control again. "I'm sorry, sire. That was very kind of you."

"Please, sit down." He said, gesturing for me to sit in the chair opposite him. I sat down but kept my gaze firmly fixed on my hands in my lap. "According to this, your fathers name is Peter and your mother is Juliana."

My head instantly snapped up. "What did you say?" my voice came out as a whisper and Arthur looked at me strangely.

"Your father, his name is Peter and…"

"My mother is Juliana. I had two brothers, Dominic and Mitchel." I closed my eyes tightly. That was my real family, the family who had died back in the 21st century. But also the names I remembered from the dream. How was it possible for them to have the same names?

"You remember them?" Arthur asked me in shock.

I didn't answer him, there was something else I was too worried about. "Who else is there? My family, who else?" I asked him, trying to hide my fear of the name I was dreading to hear.

He looked back down at the papers before him. "The only other member of royal house of Lagoon is Donald, brother to Peter."

I quickly stood up, knocking over the chair I had been sitting in. "Oh, God no." I cried, feeling fear and panic take me over. I backed up and walked straight into Merlin who looked at me with worried eyes. "I have to leave, I have to go." I said, pushing myself away from Merlin and darting out of the door.

I didn't really know where I was heading at first, but I really didn't care. I was too confused and even more afraid now that I realised my uncle Don existed in this world as well. I could hear someone calling my name, but I just ignored them. All I could focus on was my running, and trying to escape this nightmare I was stuck in.

I didn't stop until I felt like my lungs were on fire and I could hardly feel my legs anymore. When I looked around me I realised that I was in a forest, or woods. Either way, I was surrounded by trees and had no idea where I was.

Then I heard people running towards where I was. I decided that there was only one thing I could do, something I hadn't done since I was a kid, climb as high as I could in the nearest tree. After a few failed attempts, I finally managed to get my footing and started to climb up the tree, just as two men appeared where I had been standing.

"Isabella!" One of them shouted, looking around. "Merlin, did you see where she went?" Great, it was that stupid prince and his servant.

"No, she was here. I'm sure it was her. I mean, who else would it have been in a torn green dress?" He asked.

"Well she can't have gone far." Arthur told him, looking around. "Split up. I'll go this way, we have to find her." There was something about the way he was speaking, he seemed to be panicking.

I watched as Arthur ran off, but Merlin didn't move. Instead he looked right up at me in the tree. _'Please don't call for Arthur, please don't call him back.'_ I begged in my mind.

I saw the boy frown at me. "What are you doing up there?" He called quietly.

"I'm sewing a dress. What does it look like I'm doing?" I hissed at him.

"Why did you run off like that?"

"Exercise." I replied, not really feeling like giving him a full explanation. But then again, this was Merlin. He was a warlock, and a powerful one at that, if anyone could help me and understand what I was going through, it would be him.

"You'd better come down before Arthur comes back." He warned me.

I laughed at him a little. "What's he going to do if I don't? Cut the tree down?" I asked. Then I heard a crack and felt the branch I was sitting on begin to give way. I looked down at Merlin and saw a slight grin on his face. I managed to haul myself onto another branch just as the one I had taken sanctuary on crashed to the ground. _'I swear, if you do that again EMRYS…'_ I stressed his druid name.

I noticed his eyes widen and his mouth fall open. "What are you staring at? Do I have something on my face?" I asked him, not really understanding why he was looking at me so oddly.

"No… but… how did you…" The young warlock seemed unable to form a coherent sentence.

"Oh, just spit it out Merlin. Before Arthur comes back." I growled. I had not wanted to be found in the first place, and now it seemed that Merlin was playing games. I knew it had to have been him who made the branch snap, it was one of his specialties after all.

'_Why did you call me Emrys?'_ I head a voice say in my head.

This time it was my eyes that widened. "What the hell…" I mumbled, staring at Merlin. That had been his voice, inside my head I knew he was able to communicate with druids like that, but how could he talk to me in that way? I didn't have magic, did I?

"Merlin!" Great, Arthur was back. "What are you doing still standing there? You're meant to be finding Lady Isabella." He shouted. All Merlin could do was point to me up in the tree and Arthur's gaze followed his finger. "What on Earth are you doing up there?" He asked me.

I was tempted to reply with 'I'm going ten pin bowling. What does it look like, dumbo.' But I knew that was totally inappropriate, considering they would have no idea what bowling even was. "Bird watching?" I suggested, shrugging my shoulders.

"Are you going to explain to me why you ran out of my chambers and climbed up a tree?" He asked, folding his arms across his chest.

"Exercise. Now go away." I ordered, before finding the courage to climb even higher up the tree. I figured the further up I was, the less likely Merlin was to make the branch snap. He wouldn't want to me fall and break my neck, not with Arthur there at least.

I heard Arthur let out a groan before I had a quick look back. He was starting to climb the tree behind me now. For every branch I made it, the prince made at least two, so it didn't take long for him to catch up to me.

"Will you please, stop climbing." He ordered, finally getting to the branch next to me.

I turned and frowned at him. "Now why would I want to do that?" I said, reaching up for the next branch. I was actually finding it easier to climb now.

"Why are you being so difficult?" He grumbled as he followed behind me.

I stopped. "Let me see. First of, I'm a woman, I have that right. Second, I'm a princess, so again I have that right. Third, I have lost my memories and some creep is chasing me up a tree." I told him, before carrying on my assent.

"Did you just call me a creep?" Arthur asked, not even moving but just staring at me.

"I do believe I did. Now leave me alone." I shuffled myself along a sturdy branch and watched as the Price continued to follow me.

"Can you please stop climbing?" He asked as he pulled himself onto the branch I was on. "Where did you learn to climb anyway?"

I shrugged. "I had two older brothers. I used to go everywhere with them." I told him without really thinking.

"I thought you couldn't remember anything?" He asked me suspiciously.

"I couldn't. But Gaius told me that some things could trigger memories. I guess this is one of those things." I said, before looking down towards the ground. That was a big mistake. "And now I remember something else." I whispered, suddenly finding it hard to breathe.

"Really? And what might that be?" He asked. I had to say, his tone wasn't very pleasant.

I kept my eyes focused on the ground, even though it was just making me feel worse. "Oh, this is high. This is very… blimey, this is high." I said, gripping onto the branch as tightly as I could. I felt all the colour drain from my face.

"Isabella, are you scared of heights?" Arthur asked me softly. All I could do was nod at him slightly. I could barely see Merlin standing on the ground below, we really were very high up now. "And you decided to realise that when you are sitting atop a tree?" He asked me. I swear I could hear a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

"I didn't remember I was scared of heights until I just looked down." I hissed to him. I closed my eyes tightly to stop myself from looking any further. It was just making my head spin and the last thing I needed was to fall out of this stupid tree.

"Right, come on. I'm going to go down first and then help you along." Arthur said, lowering himself down to the next branch.

"You know what, I'm okay staying here. You go, have a nice life. Bye." I said, making sure I had a firm grip.

"Will you stop being so stubborn and just move." He called from below me. I took a deep breath and looked at him almost directly beneath me. "Lower yourself down, I won't let you fall." I nodded at him a little and started to slide myself off. I felt a pair of hands around my waist and realised that Prince Arthur was holding me. "There, that wasn't so hard was it?" He said mockingly.

I shot a glare at him. "You do know we are still some distance from the ground?"

Clearly my eyes were giving away just how nervous I was about heights and how we were going to get down from the stupid tree. "Okay, same as before." He said, moving lower again.

It took some time before we actually made it back to solid ground. I shot a glare at Merlin, it was because of him that Arthur followed me up the tree in the first place.

"I recommend you avoid climbing any more trees. Or any high place in general." Arthur said smugly. He was loving the fact that I had been a damsel in distress that needed rescuing. I didn't need to be rescued, I was quite happy to just stay up there for a while longer.

"Yes, well if someone hadn't been following me, I wouldn't have felt the need to climb a tree." I snapped, folding my arms across my chest.

"Well if you hadn't have ran out of the castle and to here, no one would have followed you." Arthur retorted, copying my stance.

"And if I wasn't scared I wouldn't have run." I yelled back at him. I was losing my patience now. I wanted nothing more than for the ground to just open up and swallow me whole.

"What are you afraid of?" The Prince asked me, letting himself relax a little.

I, however, stood my ground. "That, sire, is none of your business." I told him, making sure to glare at him as much as I possibly could.

"You are the most stubborn and infuriating woman I have ever met." The Prince yelled at me before walking off.

"And you at the most arrogant prat I have ever had the misfortune to meet." He stopped walking and turned to face me. "So I guess we're even then."

"I have things to do. Merlin, make sure you get her back to the castle in one piece. My father would have my head if anything happened to our guest." He called, before walking off and towards the castle.

"Clotpole." I mumbled, my eyes still burning into the back of his skull.

* * *

**A/N: I just want to set a few things out. Isabella has arrived in Camelot sometime after series 1. The first several chapters are telling her story, before we start with the episodes. I hope that's cleared a few things up for everyone. Let me know if anything else is confusing or you want to know.**

**Anyway, I've been getting over a cold, or flu or something once again. It happens every school break, it's a curse. But in that time I have been working on all my current stories (yay!). **

**Now, you know I love reviews, you know how much they make me smile. So feel free to leave one. **

**Pippa.**


	3. Stories and Legends

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait for this chapter. I started school placement this week, been a wee bit busy with it. Sorry again, and enjoy.**

* * *

"How did you know my name?" Merlin asked me as we took a slow walk back. It had taken him a long time to convince me to go back with him, and the promise that he would never snap any branches I was sitting on again.

"Everyone knows who you are. You serve and protect Arthur. The Once and Future King who will unite the land of Albion. I know what you can do, Merlin." I told him as I wrapped some of my hair around my finger.

"Who are you?" He asked me sharply. I just looked at him blankly. "If you're here to harm Arthur in any way…" He threatened.

"Oh, get real, Merlin. As much as I do not get along with the Prince, I know he will one day make a fine King. I'm not trying to stop Albion, I'm just trying find out who I am." Merlin seemed to accept my answer.

"Do you have magic?" He whispered, we were closer to the castle now, and it was not really safe to talk about it. It had actually been a rather long walk, and had taken more time than expected. I hadn't realised just how far I had managed to run till now.

"I don't know. I hope not." I thought about it for a moment. Maybe having magic would be fun, but it was too dangerous, especially with Uther as King. I would have to either leave Camelot or keep it a secret. But I didn't even know if I had any yet.

'_You must have to be able to talk to me like this.'_ Merlin's voice was ringing in my head.

'_This is how some druids communicate. But I am not a druid.'_ I directed my thought at him, and he seemed to get it.

'_Well you seem to be getting the hang of this pretty fast. The last time I spoke to someone like this was a druid boy called…'_

My eyes widened. _'Mordred.'_ He was in the legends and, from what I could remember, he wasn't such a good guy either.

'_Do you know him?'_ Merlin asked me.

I shook my head at him. _'Heard of him, yes. You know, in all this legend and destiny stuff. Never met him and really hope that I never do.'_

"I think there is someone you should meet." He said, stopping outside of my room. "I'll call for you late tonight." Then he turned away and left me, standing at my door.

I shook my head and stepped inside to find Gwen and another woman sorting dresses and placing them in the wardrobe.

"My Lady, this is the Lady Morgana, the Kings Ward." Gwen said, signalling to the dark haired woman beside her.

"Lady Morgana, it is a pleasure to meet you." I said, giving her a curtsey. I was still surprising myself by all the new manners and etiquette that I seemed to posses.

"Princess Isabella. I hope you are feeling well." Morgana said, returning the curtsey to me.

"I am well, and please, just Isabella will be fine. May I enquire as to what you are both doing?" I was very curious to say the least.

"Gwen told me that you had nothing other than the dress you are wearing. I thought I would offer you some of mine, and Gwen is here to measure you up to make you some new ones of your own." Morgana answered, picking up a dress from the bed. It was a dazzling shade of purple, with gold embroidery down the bodice. "Why don't you try this one on?" She suggested, holding it out to me.

"Lady Morgana, that is very kind of you but I cannot. These are your dresses and I'm afraid I have no way of paying Gwen for her services." That was a thought, from what I knew, I was here with no money. Just because I was supposedly a princess, did not mean I had money.

"Oh, nonsense. I hardly bother with these ones anymore. I won't miss them. And as a guest of the King, payment has already been arranged for Gwen's services." She told me, forcing the dress in my arms and pushing me towards the changing screen.

I had to give in and do what I was told. Gwen and Morgana were very insistent that everything had been taken care of and that I needed to not worry about anything. I took off the green dress that I had been wearing, according to Gwen it was beyond repair. But assured me she could replicate it perfectly. I didn't really care, but apparently, those two did.

"So, how is the dress?" Morgana asked, waiting for me to emerge so they could assess me.

"It seems a little big." I told her. The dress was meant to pretty much hug me, but instead it just seemed to drop. I didn't have the same womanly figure as Morgana did.

"I'm not surprised. I don't know who is skinnier, you or Merlin." Morgana told me as I stepped out for them to see me. "When was the last time you had a proper meal?" She asked, holding onto my skinny wrist.

"Oh, I don't remember. A few months maybe." That was actually the truth. My uncle didn't want to waste his food on me and gave me the bare basics. I tended to live off rice, bread and whatever fruit I could find.

"Well, that simply will not do. It is no wonder you are nothing but flesh and bones. A few good meals and you will soon be able to wear those dresses more comfortably." She said, smiling away at me.

I couldn't help but smile back. "Thank you, Lady Morgana. You are being very kind."

"Call me Morgana. And there is no need to thank me. I cannot begin to imagine what you must have been through." There was a sad look on her face now. "Have you managed to remember anything yet?"

I hesitated for a moment, but then decided to tell her what I could. "I remembered that I am slightly afraid of heights. And I have found out the names of my parents and brothers. I have Prince Arthur to thank for that. He gave me that information." That was all the information I really wanted to give her, or anyone. That stupid dream was still bothering me.

"I hope that you begin to remember soon. I would love to hear all about Elbear and what it is like there." Morgana said to me, taking hold of my hand and squeezing it tightly.

"Thank you, Morgana, so do I. But in the mean time, I am finding the stories of Camelot to be true." The whole time we had been talking, I had been doing my best to remember what part Morgana played in the legend. I could remember that she was Arthur's half sister and that she herself had a sister, but even my memory on that was failing me.

"Well, maybe you could entertain us with some of those stories at dinner tonight. I am sure Uther would love to her about them." My eyes widened. I had completely forgot that I was to dine with them from now on.

I quickly regained myself. "Of course. Camelot has made a name for itself from what I recall. It is strange how it only seems to be my personal memory that is been affected. I can still read and write, I just cannot remember who taught me. I look for my home and I see nothing."

"Isabella, Uther sent people out to your kingdom, I am sure, that as soon as they return, you will learn more about yourself. Meanwhile, it would be nice to have another Lady around the castle who can assist me in my life long task of annoying Arthur." There was a twinkle in her eye as she spoke that last part.

"From what I have seen of the Prince, I would enjoy that very much. Someone needs to kick him of that high horse of his." Oh how true that was. He was nowhere near ready to become the King that people needed.

"Have you been shown around the castle yet?" She asked me, I shook my head at her. I had seen the throne room, my chamber and for a few minutes, Arthur's chamber. "Well then, come. We shall take a walk about and then prepare for dinner." She said, taking me by the hand and leading me out of the room.

As we were walking, we bumped into Arthur and Merlin. My head instantly went down and I looked at the floor. "Ah, Morgana, Lady Isabella. I trust you are having a pleasant day?" The Prince asked.

"I was just going to show Isabella around the castle before we prepare for dinner." She told him, not noticing my sudden change in demeanour.

"That was very thoughtful of you, Morgana." He replied.

'_Hey, are you okay?' _I heard Merlin ask in my head. It was still weird hearing his voice in my head.

'_I'm fine. Why does everyone have to keep asking me how I am? Honestly, I'd be a lot better if people stopped asking me the same question over and over again.'_ I told him, staring to feel a little agitated.

"Lady Isabella?" I looked up and saw that everyone was staring at me. All I could do was give them a questioning look. "I asked how you were feeling." Arthur said, giving me that stupid concerned look I had been seeing from him since I had met him.

"I am fine, sire. Thank you." I told him before letting my gaze fall back to the floor.

I heard Arthur and Morgana speak a little more before we went our separate ways. It wasn't long until we were at Morgana's chambers. I admit, I wasn't really paying too much attention to what she was talking about. I just nodded and mumbled a little every now and again.

The next thing I knew, she was leading me through the castle and towards the hall we would be dining in. "Princess Isabella, Morgana." Uther declared as we entered the room. Arthur was already there as well. "Princess Isabella, please sit." He motioned to the empty chair beside Arthur.

Morgana let go of my arm and went to her seat over the other side of the table. I took a deep breath and walked over to where I was to sit, saying I was nervous came nowhere close to how I was feeling. Just as I reached the high backed wooden chair, Arthur was out of his own and pulling it out for me.

"Thank you, sire." I managed to say as he pushed my chair under when I sat down. Morgana was opposite me and I couldn't help but notice the smirk on her face.

There was small talk between father and son, with the occasional input from Morgana. I felt completely out of place and wanted nothing more than to find an excuse to get out of there. But that would have been rude. The King had granted me, a complete stranger, shelter and safety in his castle.

"Lady Isabella, I hope you are comfortable here." Uther said, tucking straight into his meal.

"I am, and I cannot thank you enough for your kindness, sire." I said, carefully picking at the food on my plate. Of course I was hungry, but if I ate too much I was just going to be sick. I had done that before, gone days without eating properly and then stuffed my face at the first chance I got. The end result was not pretty. "It would appear the stories I remember about Camelot are true."

I saw both the King and Prince raise an eyebrow. "Oh? And what do these stories tell?"

That was the perfect excuse to stop eating, just tell them a story. "That Camelot is one of the most wealthy and prosperous kingdoms, with a fair and just King who is always looking to the safety of his people. You are highly respected for your dedication to the fight against magic." I wanted to kick myself for saying that, but I knew it was what he wanted to hear.

"You words are too kind, Princess." Uther said, beaming away and sipping at his wine.

"I only speak of what I remember, but your hospitality has proved the stories are correct." I told him, smiling at him. I felt like such a kiss up, but I knew I needed to keep on the king's good side, this was Uther after all.

"And do any of your stories mention my son?" Uther asked. That was my chance to really rub Arthur up the wrong way.

"Indeed there are, sire. They say that one day, he shall be as good a king as you. But he still has much to learn before that time comes." I had to put my goblet to my lips and drink some wine to cover the grin that was stretching across my face. Arthur seemed a little shocked and outraged from what I had said.

"It is true, Arthur does have a long way to go before he is fully ready to become King." Uther agreed, much to his son's dislike. I noticed Morgana smirking as well. Clearly I had ruffled the Prince's feathers.

Arthur decided to interrupt to make sure I couldn't put him down any further. "Father, I was thinking it would be a good idea to take Princess Isabella out of the city and show her more of the kingdom." He suggested.

Uther seemed to ponder in it for a moment before looking at me. "Lady Isabella, how do you feel about this proposal?"

"I would be honoured to have the Prince show me more of Camelot. I'm sure it is as beautiful as the stories would tell as well."

"Well then, that is settled. Arthur and you shall ride out at first light and spend the day touring some parts of the kingdom. Although I am sure I do not need to warn you not to stray too far." The last part was directed at his son.

"Of course, father." Arthur said, getting back to his wine.

Morgana was the first person to excuse herself and retire to bed. And it was only a short while later that Uther was also called away for something. So I was left sitting there with Arthur.

"You haven't eaten much." Arthur pointed out after his father had left.

I just shrugged my shoulders. "I'm not exactly used to having so much food."

"Well, if there is anything in particular that you want, I can get the cook to make it for you." He suggested.

"I… I've gotten used to making my own meals. I always liked to cook." I said, looking off into the distance. I would always annoy my mum by insisting on helping her cook anything and everything.

"Isabella, what happened earlier…" Great, I had been waiting for him to bring that up. "The mention of your uncle's name seemed to upset you greatly. Is there a reason why?"

At first I wasn't sure what to tell him. And after a moment of thinking, I decided I might as well tell him what happened in my dream. "Last night, my dream consisted of him killing both my mother and father. And since I do not have my memories, I don't know if it was just a dream or if that really did happen."

"I'm sorry. I didn't know." He said softly.

I forced a smile on my face. "There is no need to be sorry. You were only trying to help me. You weren't to know it would upset me."

"Or that you would climb a tree and then find out you have problem with heights." There was a little bit of playfulness in his tone. He wasn't mocking me, he was trying to cheer me up.

"Or that some creep of a Prince was going to follow me up said tree." That made the Prince laugh.

"I have been called many things, but never a creep." He said, regaining his composure. "Would you allow me to escort you be to your chamber? If you have finished eating, that is." I nodded at him and he was a gentleman in pulling my chair out for me again.

We walked most of the way in silence, and I kept my head down, as I seemed to be making a habit of in his presence. It would appear that he had noticed this as well. "Is there something interesting about your feet? You always seem to be looking down."

"Sorry." I mumbled. "Force of habit I guess." I said, still not bothering to looking up. I just carried on walking, until I was stopped by a pair of feet in front of me. I let out a sigh before pulling my gaze up to the man standing there, his arms folded across his chest. "Is something the matter, sire?"

"You seem to do anything possible to avoid looking at me. Is there a reason for that?" He asked me, trying to hold my gaze.

I didn't know what to tell him. I had my reasons, like that fact that when I looked at his eyes it felt like time had stopped. Or that when I looked at him, I couldn't help but wonder more and more about who he really was. "No, sire. If you would excuse me, I wish to retire now." I said, letting my eyes fall back to the floor as I darted around him in one swift movement and hurried along the corridor.

At first I was a little concerned that he was going to come after me, but he didn't. Once I was in my room I let out a sigh of relief. Dinner had been interesting, but I wasn't sure I could do that every single night. I was going to have to start thinking up excuses so I didn't have to go all the time, it couldn't be too hard really. Could it?

I pushed all thoughts of that prat of a prince to the back of my mind and focused on something else. Merlin said he was going to come for me later, that could be anytime now, and I was not going to stay in that dress any longer. I rummaged through the wardrobe and found a simple pale blue dress. No sooner had I gotten changed, there was a soft knocking at the door.

'_It's me, Merlin'_ He said, clearly not wanting to speak out loud.

'_Give me a second.'_ I said, pulling on some slipper style shoes and walking over to the door. I pulled it open and smiled at the warlock. When I looked at him I felt a little bit of reassurance. I knew he was keeping a big secret, and so was I. I knew about the future, I knew how brilliant he was going to become. I didn't feel as nervous or worried, I could look him in the eyes and smile. _'So, where are we off to then?'_ I asked him, trying to sound cheery.

'_You'll see.'_ Was all he said. I just shrugged my shoulder and carried on following him down one corridor then another. Morgana had shown me around most of the castle earlier, but where we were now, I had no idea. She hadn't taken me there and I had to admit, I was starting to get a terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach.

Merlin picked up a torch and we headed down this stone staircase, and a long one at that. _'Merlin, where are you taking me?'_ I asked him, trying not to sound worried.

He had picked up on my anxiousness. _'Don't worry, everything is fine, I promise.'_ I let out a sigh and carried on following him down into the darkness. When we finally reached the bottom I looked around. We seemed to have ended up in some sort of cave under the castle. "I know you're here. I brought someone to see you." Merlin shouted, looking around.

I stared at the warlock in confusion for a moment before a heard the flapping of wings. The rather large lizard now perched on the rocks before us took my attention. "Oh lovely, a dragon." I mumbled, folding my arms across my chest to show that I was not impressed. This was just going from one extreme to the next, and I was getting seriously fed up with it now.

"Ah, the young princess. One who is so far away from home, further than anyone knows." The dragon called. He had my attention, and I stared into those golden eyes of his. "I'm sure you have many questions you wish to ask me."

"Me, nah, not really." I said, completely forgetting when time period I was in and speaking very rough. "I mean, if you tell me your name is Kilgharrah I may just have to laugh until I cry." That was something I remember from the television show. The great dragon was called Kilgharrah.

"You have already shed many tears since arriving here, but those have been tears of sadness. I am Kilgharrah." His voice echoed around the cave. And at first I didn't know what to do.

"Okay, fair enough." I turned to face the warlock who had been standing silent and watching my interactions with the giant beast. "Why did you bring me here, Merlin? Kilgharrah only ever speaks in riddles, you should know that by now." I said, going back into full princess mode.

"I thought that maybe he could help you with your memories." Merlin said, a little nervous.

I nodded at the warlock and turned back to Kilgharrah. "I take it you know where I am from?" He bowed his head at me, which I took meant yes. "Then there are two questions I want to ask you."

"Go ahead, young princess." The dragon replied, watching me carefully.

"One, how the hell did I get here. And two, why the hell am I here? And don't you dare give me any of that destiny and prophecy nonsense." I warned him, making sure to glare at him as I spoke.

"You were sent here by magic." He told me. I rolled my eyes at him, well it wasn't like I time travelled using a big blue police box now, was it? "You are here to play your role in the legend."

I looked at him, and a small smile started to form on my face. "That, was very clever, Kilgharrah."

"What was? What did he do?" Merlin asked, a very bemused look on his face.

"I told him not to say destiny or prophecy, so he used the word legend instead." I had completely slipped out of princess mode and was speaking just like I would to any of my friends back home. Not that I actually had many. "So come on then, Kilgharrah, where do I come into this?"

"I thought you only had two questions, young princess? You have asked these." Was he smiling? Was that blasted dragon smiling at me?

"You have opened more avenues of inquiry. Come on, give a girl with no memory a break." I said to him, giving him a cheeky smile.

"Now, you know what has happened with your memories, your charm will not work on me." He laughed.

I shrugged my shoulders. "Oh well, it was worth a shot. I guess, in time, I will find my own destiny." I hinted to the dragon.

"Indeed you shall, young princess. Your world is changing, your life has been moved to a better path. Do not dwell on the future, live in the past." The dragon said before flying off. I burst out laughing as he left, I understood exactly what he meant.

"Well, I have to say, that was rather interesting. The old lizard gave away a little more than he wanted to in the end." I said, smiling away.

"I couldn't understand anything that was going on between you and him. How did you know his name? And were you not scared of him?" Merlin asked, studying me carefully.

"Oh. Yes, right." I quickly got back into princess mode. "I remember tales of the great dragon as I remember tales of Camelot."

Merlin looked at me, as if he was trying to work out if I was lying or not when he finally nodded. "That makes sense. But what I don't understand is all this dwell on the future and living in the past. What does he mean by that?"

I bit my lip and put a worried expression on my face. "I don't actually know either. I think maybe it is time to head back. It's been a rather eventful day and I would really like to get some sleep tonight." I told the warlock, trying to draw his attention away from what the dragon had said to me. I didn't want Merlin to work it out, not until I knew exactly what I was doing in the legend.

"Sorry, I'll take you back now." Merlin said sheepishly. We began walking back in silence, I had a feeling both of us were thinking over what the dragon had said.

It wasn't long until we had reached the corridor that my room was down. "Thank you, Merlin. I am very grateful for what you have done for me. I shall see you in the morning, bright and early."

Before the warlock had a chance to say anything the door closest to where we were standing opened. Arthur stepped out and stopped in his tracks when he saw us. My head instantly went down and I focused on my shoes, again.

"Ah, Merlin, just the idiot I was looking for. I am taking Princess Isabella on a tour of the kingdom tomorrow. Have the horses ready for just after dawn." The Prince said, standing in front of the pair of us.

"Of course, sire." Merlin said, giving a little bow. "Good night, My Lord, Lady Isabella."

"Good night, Merlin." I said, quickly looking at him for the briefest of moments. He began to walk one way and I started to go the other, towards my chamber.

"Lady Isabella, may I inquire as to why you are wandering the castle at such a late hour?" The Prince asked, catching up with me.

"I found that I was having trouble sleeping and decided to take a little walk. Do not worry, I did not venture outside. I bumped into Merlin and he was kind enough to escort me back." We stopped as we reached the door to my chamber.

"You're doing it again." Arthur said with a sigh.

I knew what he was talking about, but it was easier for me to act like I didn't. "Doing what, sire?" I shifted my eyes so that I was now looking at the bottom of the door and not the ground.

"Avoiding looking at me. Have I done something to offend you?" I could have sworn I heard hurt in his voice. Was me not looking at him hurting him?

"No, of course not, sire. Now if you will excuse me, I believe we should both get some rest for tomorrow." I put my hand on the handle and was about to open the door when suddenly Arthur reached out and put his hand over mine. My eyes shot up and fixed on him as I felt the warmth from his touch.

"I hope you sleep well tonight, Princess." He said, staring into my eyes. I was captivated by his eyes. I really had never seen anything like them before, and I probably never would again.

"Thank you, sire." I whispered. For some reason I was find it hard to breath, let alone speak. "Goodnight." I whispered, opening the door and ducking inside quickly.

Once it was closed I rested my head against it and listened. I couldn't yet hear the prince's footsteps leading away from my door. Was he still standing out there? I held my breath and waited for what seemed like forever before I finally heard him go back to his own chamber. Only then did I begin to relax.

* * *

**A/N: Again, i'm really sorry for the long wait. Settling into a new school and planning lessons is time consuming. **

**I hope you all liked this chapter. I promise to try and get the next one up quickly, especially if you guys are liking the story. **

**Pippa.**


	4. Bandits and Dresses

Arthur slowly made his way back to his chamber. There was something about that woman, something so different and something intriguing. She seemed so shy around him in the castle, and yet when he had first met her, she had a big mouth and a big attitude. Where could that person have gone?

He couldn't even begin to imagine how hard it must be for her, losing her memories. He wondered if that was the reason why she was keeping herself so closed off, because she didn't know who she really was anymore.

The Prince was determined to do something about that, for some reason he could not explain, he wanted to get to know her and help her. That was why he had done some research on her family and kingdom, but that didn't go down to well with the Princess. He noted that she seemed to be afraid of her uncle, and when she told him about the dream, that was confirmed. He hoped that it only was a dream, and not her memory.

He changed for bed and pulled himself under the covers, although he was far from tired. His mind just kept drifting back to Isabella, and those eyes of her. When he looked at her, he could see fear and sorrow. He tired to imagine her eyes brighter, a smile on her face.

All he could do was hope that the dawning of a new day would bring better hope and luck. He noticed how relaxed she seemed to be around Merlin before they spotted him, and then she instantly clammed up.

0000

I heard someone come into my chamber. I was lying on my bed with my eyes closed, but I hadn't slept a wink. In all honesty, I was too scared to sleep. "Don't you know how to knock, Merlin?" I mumbled, slowly opening my heavy eyelids.

"How did you know it was me?" He asked in surprise as he put a tray of food down on the table.

"Because you are the only person in the whole of Camelot who fails to knock before entering a room." I told him, swinging my legs off the bed. I noticed him blush a little and avert his eyes. "Oh, come on, Merlin. It's not as if I have my legs on show is it?" I told him, knowing it was because I was in my nightdress that he was embarrassed.

"No, but…"

"But nothing, Merlin. I am not displaying anything inappropriate. You lot are so medieval." I said before grabbing a dress and ducking behind the changing screen.

"What do you mean, medieval?" He asked me curiously.

That's when I realised that I had slipped up. Of course they were medieval, this was Camelot for God sake. "Nothing, never mind." I told him before carrying on changing. A few minutes later I emerged, completely dressed, apart from my shoes. "What are you doing here anyway?" I asked as I sat down in front of the mirror and began to fight with my hair.

"Arthur wanted me to make sure you ate something before we left. He said you didn't eat much at dinner last night." I couldn't understand why the prince was worrying about me so much.

I let out a sigh. "That is because I do not feel the need to eat like a pig." I told him, walking over and inspecting the food. There was something that looked like it may have been porridge, along with fruit. I opted for an apple. "There, I'm eating." I said, taking a bite out of it. It tasted so much better than what I was used to. I had to remember that this was a time where they didn't use chemicals to keep bugs away and to help them grow. It was what people would have called organic.

"Is that all you're having?" He asked, watching me carefully.

"Yes, it is. Now, I'm sure Arthur has plenty of other things for you to be doing before we leave, so off you go." I said, waving him away and towards the door. Reluctantly he left, and I could have sworn I heard him speaking with Arthur as soon as he left the room. It made me curious, had he been standing outside while I had been talking to Merlin?

0000

Arthur had in fact been standing by the door, listening to the conversation between his servant and the visiting Princess. He didn't know what to make of it really. She was speaking to him like she had known him forever. And her comment about the nightdress, that was bothering him. Why had she been so calm about it all?

"Well?" Arthur said as Merlin emerged from the room.

"She started eating an apple and said that was all she was going to eat, pretty much." He said, looking at his master.

"She is going to make herself ill is she doesn't start to eat properly." The Prince replied, seemingly a little frustrated.

"Arthur, she's not used to having so much food available to her. It's going to take time for her to adjust. We don't know how long she has been away from her kingdom for." Merlin assured him. Even he couldn't explain why the Prince was getting so worked up over this new woman in his life.

"Still, if she doesn't start eating more soon, then I shall have to find a way to encourage her." He said, walking back to his own room.

"And how do you plan on doing that?" Merlin asked, walking beside Arthur.

"Oh, I'll think of something." He said, with a grin on his face and a twinkle in his eyes. "Now, go and prepare the horses. I hope you have everything ready." Merlin nodded at him and rushed off.

He was determined that he was going to use the day to try and get to know her better, and get her to actually look at him. When he had touched her hand last night, he had surprised her and she finally looked at him. He memorised her face, every detail of her soft skin, and those eyes of hers.

He was already dressed and ready to leave, but Merlin being Merlin, had been late, as always. He sat down at the table and looked through some more of the records he had found on Elbear. The kingdom was farther north than he had ever travelled, he had never even heard of it until they found her. He was hoping that the envoy would return quickly, bearing good news for Isabella and more information to her.

0000

I had found some riding boots in the wardrobe and was so grateful that they had no holes in them. I was really looking forward to this little trip, it had been too long since I had last been on a horse. Back on the farm, I used to have my own horse, Nova. He was a magnificent stallion, but my uncle had sold him after my parents died, claiming that it was to help pay for my keep and upbringing. I cried for weeks after that.

I pulled a green riding cloak out as well, from the look of it outside and the chilliness of the stone on the outer walls, it was going to be a cold day. I didn't even know what time of year it was, but at a guess I would say mid October. That was roughly the same time of year it was when I was back at the farm.

I looked at the food Merlin had left on the table. I had to admit that I was still a little hungry and so decided to grab another apple from plate. As I sunk my teeth into it, someone knocked at the door.

I casually walked over, munching away at the piece of apple in my mouth, and pulled the door open. "Good morning, Lady Isabella. I trust you slept well last night?" Oh, great. It was Prince arrogant.

I quickly swallowed the contents of my mouth and hid the apple behind my back. "I did, sire. Thank you." I said, lowering my gaze. Yes, I was doing it again, I was avoiding looking at him.

"I'm not going to throw you in the stocks of eating you know." He told me. Clearly he had noticed the apple I had, or at least that I had been eating something. I slowly brought my hand so that it was by my side, the apple now clearly in his sight. "Is that all you are having? An apple?" He asked.

"Yes, sire. I do not have a big appetite."

"Well, once you are ready, come meet us in the court yard. I see you have found your cloak, a wise choice, the weather is turning bitter." I didn't really know what to say and so we both stood there in silence for a moment. "I shall see you soon." Arthur said, before disappearing from my view.

I quietly closed the door and hurriedly finished the apple in my hand before making sure my cloak was fastened tightly. Once I was certain that I was ready to go I made my way through the castle. Everyone I passed bowed to me and called me 'My Lady' or 'Princess', it was getting a little annoying so I quickened my pace.

Lucky enough I had remembered the way and found the Prince standing by a horse, trying to calm it down. I just walked over and began to gently stroke the white horses nose. Instantly it calmed and started to nuzzle me, which brought a small smile to my face. The grey spots around the eyes reminded me a lot of Nova.

"He seems to like you." Arthur commented, standing beside me.

I was too busy to notice how close he was to me, or that my whole body was tingling. "He reminds me of a horse I used to have when I was younger." I said as I began to absentmindedly scratch him behind the ear. He seemed to like that even more, and began to nuzzle at me again. He was even acting the same way that Nova did.

"Do you need help in mounting him?" He asked, holding a hand out to me.

That brought me back to my sense and I backed away a little, my eyes falling from the horse and to the ground. "No thank you, sire. I am sure I can manage." I whispered before swiftly mounting myself.

I was now at such a high level that it was impossible for me to hide my face from him, especially since my hair was pinned back and out of my face. He was staring at me, and it looked like a smile was tugging at the corner of his lips.

Soon enough, both he and Merlin were also mounted and we were making our way outside of the citadel. I was keeping a few paces behind Arthur, and Merlin was almost next to me. The ride was relaxing me, and it was so nice to be out in the open, even if the chill was biting me through my cloak.

"How are you enjoying your tour, Lady Isabella?" Arthur asked, getting his horse to stop and waiting for me to be next to him.

"I am enjoying it very much, sire. It somewhat reminds me of home. I can remember a forest, my brothers and I used to run off and play there all the time. And I would go there alone if I just wanted time to myself or to think." Home, my home before the farm, when we had lived on the outskirts of a big city. That forest had been a magical place, tales of knights in shining armour, damsels in distress, and an outlaw with his bow and arrows.

"We're you and your brothers very close?" Merlin asked from behind.

"Inseparable most of the time. Dominic and Mitchel were twins, so they were always together and causing trouble anyway. I found out at a very young age that I could cause as much trouble as I wanted and they would get the blame for it." Oh how true that had been. And they never dared try to convince our parents otherwise, because I had more information on them that could get them into even more trouble.

"What kind of trouble did you get them into?" Arthur asked, as we started slowly moving forwards again.

"Well, I used to borrow their clothes so that I could sneak out. Most of the time, when I returned, they were filthy and torn. Mother was not amused." I told him, chuckling a little at the amount of times I had actually done that.

"You, are most possibly the strangest princess I have ever met." Arthur said, looking straight at me.

"I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about, Prince Arthur." I said, holding my head up high. I was feeling so much more relaxed now. Maybe it was because we weren't cooped up in that castle and there aren't eyes everywhere. Either way, I was feeling so much better, and a little braver.

I looked up at the sky, I could just make out the sun through the trees. Arthur looked at me and then also looked up. "Just past noon. Shall we stop for a while?" He suggested. I shrugged my shoulders, I wasn't really that bothered about stopping. I patted the horse on his neck and he nodded at me.

"I think he wants a little break." I said, rubbing the horse between his ears. "You have been a very good boy today, haven't you?" I kept making a fuss of him while Merlin started a small fire and began unpacking things.

"May I assist you in getting down?" Arthur asked me, holding out his hands before me. I let out a sigh and nodded, mounting a horse I could do alone, but I had a tendency to stumble when I dismounted.

If felt his hands settle on my waist as he helped me to get off. Once both me feet were firmly on the ground I felt my cheeks burning. "Thank you, sire." I said, before quickly turning away from him.

"Didn't I tell you before that you could call me Arthur?" He said, following me towards the fire.

"That is highly possible, but you see, I have problems remembering things." I sat down on a log, and the prince just had to sit himself down next to me.

"May I ask you something?"

I watched Merlin unpack some food from one of the bags his horse was carrying before answering Arthur. "I believe you just did, sire."

I heard him groan and had to refrain from just laughing at him. "Why do you act so differently out here to when we are in the castle?" This time I had nowhere to run to. I was going to have to answer his question. Possibly.

"Whatever do you mean, sire?" I pretended to be shocked at his question.

"Every time I have seen you around the castle you have kept your head down and avoided looking at me. And you insist on calling me sire even when I tell you to call me Arthur." I saw a look of frustration on his face. "And now, out here, you just seem different."

I let out a sigh. "Whenever we were in a new place, I was always told to keep my head down, stay out of trouble and be quiet. It's just something that has stuck with me I guess."

"So why is it different out here?" Damn him and his curiosity.

"Not so many eyes. Out here I know I can be who I am without anyone thinking badly of me."

I saw him raise an eyebrow. "I'm here, does what I think of you not count?"

"Nope. You're the Prince who brought me here against my will. Merlin ranks higher than you do in my books." I said, nodding to the warlock who instantly looked up when he heard his name.

"How can a servant rank higher than a prince?" Arthur asked in utter disgust.

"Quite easily. He made a better first impression than you did. Even Sir Leon ranks higher than you." I was trying my best not to laugh at his reaction. It was clear he was far from happy.

"How was Merlin's better than mine?" he demanded.

I cleared my throat, covering up the giggles that were escaping. "He was polite to me, and kind. While you, Prince Arthur the arrogant prat, decided to make a spectacle in front of your knights, which seriously backfired at one point I would like to add. And then you kidnapped me."

"I did not kidnap you." He said, his temper flaring a little.

"Kidnap, definition; taking a person against their will. I do believe I made it quite clear that I did not want to go with you, you took me against me will. You, sire, kidnapped me." I said, a smug grin on my face. Being a human dictionary was sometimes fun.

"Merlin, did I kidnap Princess Isabella?" He called.

Merlin looked between the prince and me. "Well, yeah. She didn't want to go, but you took her anyway."

"Game, set and match." I said, getting up from where I was sitting and going over to help Merlin.

"What does that mean?" Arthur called, following me again.

"It means, dear prince, that you do not have a valid argument." It was strange how amusing I found it, seeing the prince so worked up.

"You are intolerable and infuriating." He said, turning away from me and back over to the log we had been sitting on.

"Thank you. I aim to please." I said, smiling and him and giving him a little curtsy. He let out a growl of frustration and I couldn't help but let a laugh slip out. "Need any help there, Merlin?"

"No, it's fine." He told me, before glancing over at Arthur. "You really know how to upset Arthur, don't you?"

I tilted my head to the side a little, thinking. "He is just too easy to annoy. And anyway, everything I said was true, and he needs to accept that."

"I know. But I'm usually the one…" I quickly put my hand over his mouth to shut him up. _'What's wrong?'_ He asked me.

'_Listen.'_ I told him before closing my eyes. I had heard twigs snapping under a heavy weight. I heard another and my eyes flew open and I quickly looked in several different places. I slowly moved my hand and quietly walked over to Arthur.

"What do you want?" He snapped.

I sat down next to him, as close to him as I could. "I came to apologise." I said, before leaning closer to him. "And to tell you we are surrounded by roughly 7 men." I whispered in his ear. I was so close to him that anyone would have thought I was kissing his cheek, not whispering to him.

I saw his eyes widen and he seemed to be silently asking me if I was sure. I just nodded at him, I had been able to sense them after hearing them. They were close and we were surrounded. Arthur leaned close to me and put a hand on my cheek. I suddenly found it hard to breathe. "Where?" He whispered to me when he moved closer.

"Two directly behind us. Three directly opposite and one either side." I managed to say. He still had his hand on my cheek, and I could feel my face burning. Out of the corner of my eye I saw him put his free hand on the hilt of his sword.

"As soon as you get the chance, run." His breath tickled against my face and I felt a little shiver go down my spine. I was about to nod at him when the men we were expecting charged in. Arthur grabbed my hand and dragged me into the middle so that I was with Merlin.

He pulled out his sword and began battling with the men that had come from behind him. I knew that I couldn't leave them there, I knew I needed to fight as well if they stood a chance if getting out of this.

One of them came straight for me, all I had to do was duck and he went and ran through one of his friends. Arthur had already taken one down, and out of the corner of my eye I had seen Merlin use his magic to take two of them out as well. There was only three left now, so I grabbed a sword and joined in.

"Isabella, run!" Arthur shouted at me.

"What, and let you have all the fun?" I said, blocking the attacks against me. Arthur didn't really have time to protest, he had two men fighting against him. Merlin threw a rock at the guy I was facing, getting his attention and I took my opening. I sent Merlin a silent thank you before turning back to Arthur.

He was struggling, both the men were built like houses. I knew I needed to help him, I wasn't going to let him get hurt, the urge to protect him was just too strong. One of the men was about to attack Arthur from behind, so I ran and stood back to back with Arthur.

"I thought I told you to run." He moaned.

"Oh, don't say thanks or anything. Oh no, just moan that I'm here saving your royal backside." I told him as I parried the attacks that came at me. I felt a sharp pain on my left arm and looked to see my dress torn and blood trickling from the wound. I turned to face the man, my eyes full of fury. "You did not just rip my dress." I growled before charging at him and taking him down.

I looked around at the mess while Arthur finished taking care of the last man. "Merlin, you can stop hiding now." I called, knowing that he was behind a tree. He had stayed there so that no one would notice him using his magic.

"Oh, is it over then?" He asked casually, as if he had just missed the end of a film he never wanted to watch.

"Yes, Merlin. It's all over now." I said, patting him on the shoulder.

Arthur stomped over to me. "I thought I told you to run!" He yelled at me.

I just rolled my eyes at him. "Yeah, because you really would have stood a chance against all 7 of them on your own wouldn't you?" I snapped at him. "It's fine, I don't expect you to thank me for my help." I said, tossing the bloody sword to the ground.

"How did you know they were there?" He asked after calming down a little.

"You're not the only one trained for battle. I was taught to use my senses, after hearing twigs snapping, I managed to pin point where they were hiding." I said, turning to walk away from him. He grabbed the top of my arm and I hissed in pain.

Arthur quickly removed his hand and looked my arm. I looked down as well, there was a fair amount of blood soaking into my dress there now. "Yeah, he tore my dress. I really liked this dress. Never mess with a woman's clothing." I knew that it was a fight for our lives, the only option was to kill him.

"You're bleeding." Arthur told me, taking me to sit on the log with him.

"Oh, is that what the red stuff is. I never would have guessed." I told him sarcastically.

"Will you be quiet and let me look at it." He snapped, glaring at me. I knew in an instant that he was serious and kept my mouth shut.

'_Well, he's in a good mood isn't he?'_ I said to Merlin as he came over with a wet cloth.

'_I think he is just concerned because you've been hurt.'_ He said, passing the cloth to Arthur to clean the cut.

"I think we should head back. I need to inform my father that there are bandits close to the city." He said, not taking his eyes off my arm. I was actually disappointed, I was really starting to enjoy myself out here.

"I'll get the horses ready." Merlin said, before walking off and packing up our things.

I stayed silent and done my best not to flinch every time Arthur touched me. Now that the adrenalin was fading, the pain was starting to kick in. "It doesn't look too deep, but Gaius will still need to take a look at it when we get back." I just nodded at him, wondering why he was being so caring suddenly. "You should have ran, and let me take care of them." Arthur said when he was satisfied it was clean and had wrapped a bandage around my arm.

"And leave you to die? You would not have been able to take on all of them on your own, Arthur. I am not a coward." I told him firmly. I noticed a smile appear on his face. "What?"

"You called me Arthur. And I would not have though you a coward for running." He told me softly.

"No, but I would. I am not a coward, nor am I a little girl. I know how to defend myself, as you have seen. I bet I could put most of your knights to shame." I told him confidently.

"Oh, is that so? Well then, Isabella, why don't we put that to the test?" Was he actually going to let me fight his knights? Oh, that was going to be fun.

"I have one condition." I said, it was a very reasonable condition as well. "They cannot know it is me. I don't want them to go easy on me because I am a girl."

"I think that can be arranged." He said, before Merlin interrupted us by informing us that we were ready to head off. "Will you be alright riding with your arm?"

"I will be fine, Arthur. My arm is not about to fall off you know. It's only a cut, I've suffered worse injuries." He looked at me quizzically, clearly he wanted to know more. "I've had broken bones before. Can't say it was much fun having them broken, but it was fun breaking them."

"You really are very strange." Arthur told me, having to help me up onto the horse.

"Like I said before, I aim to please." I replied, keeping a stupid smile on my face.

Once Arthur was on his horse he led the way back. We were going at a faster pace than we did in the morning, but I guess that was because Arthur needed to inform his father of what had happened and get the patrols sent to out make sure the bandits kept away.

* * *

**A/N: Sorry again for the long wait. I honestly have been rather busy. Planning 5 weeks of Maths and Literacy isn't easy when I have to plan ICT, RE and Music as well. Being a teacher is hard work sometimes. **

**Apologies for any spelling or grammatical errors. A big thank you to everyone who has reviewed, I'm glad you are enjoying it. Also a thank you to those who have followed/favourited this story. **

**Sorry to have kept you waiting for so long for this chapter, but I hope it has been worth it. As always, reviews are more than welcome. If you think I can make it better, don't be afraid to tell me. Or if you don't feel like review, send me a PM, I'd love to hear from you about any comments.**

**Pippa.**


	5. Nicknames and Dinner

We quickly arrived back at the courtyard and Arthur was there in a flash to help me off my horse again. "Thank you, Prince of Arrogance." I said with a smirk when my feet were back on solid ground again.

He rolled his eyes at me. "You're welcome, Princess of Strangeness."

I couldn't help but laugh at what he had called me. "Have we just given each other nicknames or something?"

He seemed to think about it for a moment. "Yes, I do believe we have." We shared a smile. "Merlin will take you to see Gaius. I have to speak with my father."

"But of course. I bid you farewell, my Prince." I said, curtseying a bit dramatically.

"Until next time, my Princess." He said, taking hold of my hand and kissing the back of it. I swear I could feel myself turning bright red, but I was also trying to hold in the laughter. When our eyes met, neither of us could break the gaze.

It was only broken when Merlin interrupted us. "I need to get you to Gaius, Lady Isabella." Arthur released my hand, and I felt a sudden rush of disappointment and sadness.

"Of course, Merlin. Lead the way." I said, giving one last look at Arthur. It seemed he was getting one last look at me as well before finding the king.

"What's going on with you and Arthur?" Merlin asked me once we were away from the courtyard.

I looked at him, puzzled. "Nothing as far as I know. Why?"

"Well, it's just, one minute you can't stand each other, the next your flirting. It's weird." He said, leading me down a stone staircase.

I just shrugged. "We were having a bit of fun, that's all. He annoys me, I annoy him, it's a mutual thing."

He looked at me sceptically. "Right. Earlier it looked like the pair of you was about to kiss. Just before we were attacked by those bandits."

I let out a loud laugh. "Merlin, I was discretely telling him about the bandits. I had to make sure they couldn't tell that I had spotted them." Then I started thinking about what if we had kissed. Maybe that wouldn't have been such a bad thing, but no, there was Gwen. She was the Once and Future Queen. I still had to work out where I fitted in all of this. Although, judging by the unexplainable urge to protect Arthur back with the bandits, I was already starting to form an idea.

"Well I think you done a good job. It really did look like you were making up after a lovers quarrel." I rolled my eyes at him again. "And you did fight pretty well too." He added.

"To be honest with you, I don't really know what came over me. I just knew that I had to protect Arthur." I told him as we approached the chamber he shared with the physician.

"Maybe that's what the dragon meant. Maybe you're here to protect Arthur as well." He suggested.

"I thought about it, and I've got another theory." Merlin looked at me with one eyebrow raised and a hand on the door, ready to open it. "Maybe I'm here to protect the one who protects Arthur."

"Why would I need protecting?"

I looked at him as if he was completely stupid. "Oh, please. How many times have you almost been caught? You know what would happen if you were, maybe I'm here to make sure that doesn't happen and that you fulfil your destiny along with Arthur."

"How can you know so much?" He asked, finally opening the door.

"Oh, I'm just brilliant." I called, walking through the door.

"Yeah, and modest." He said, shutting the door after he stepped through as well.

"Yup. I'm brilliant, modest, stubborn, annoying, strange and of course, a complete mystery." I told him, a twinkle in my eye. The ride out had really done me the world of good. As did the fight with the bandits. Arthur and I seemed to have found some common ground and I didn't feel as awkward around him anymore.

"Ah, Lady Isabella, are you feeling well?" Gaius asked, lifting his head from the book he was reading.

"I am feeling perfectly fine. However, we did encounter some rotten bandits who just so happened to damage this lovely dress that Lady Morgana gave me." I pointed to where my arm was bandaged up. "They also cut my arm in the process."

Gaius gave Merlin a strange look, as if to ask if I was alright in the head. "Apparently this is what she is like when she is in a good mood." He said, shrugging his shoulders.

Gaius took the bandage off my arm and inspected the cut better. "You've done a good job, Merlin."

"Actually, it wasn't me." He told the old man, getting his attention. "It was Arthur."

Gaius raised an eyebrow at him before turning back to me. "Well it isn't deep, I will need to put a clean bandage on it. You're going to have to…"

He was hinting that I needed to remove my dress so that he could get to it properly. "Nonsense. Merlin, hand me a knife or something." He looked at me wearily before finding a sharp knife. "Thank you." I said, before using it to pick at the stitching that attached the sleeve to the bodice. A few minutes later I pulled the sleeve off and both men were giving me a strange look. "What? It needed a new sleeve anyway." I told them, handing the knife back to Merlin.

"Arthur's right, you are strange." He said, placing it back where he had found it.

"How far were you when you encountered these bandits?" Gaius asked, looking at Merlin.

"Not that far, actually. It had only just gone noon and we had stopped for a rest when Isabella heard them. I don't think we would have survived if she hadn't been there. She isn't too bad with a sword." Merlin informed the physician.

"Is that so, Lady Isabella?" He said, turning to face me.

I let out a sigh. "I only did what I could to protect Arthur and Merlin. I wasn't going to run a leave them to deal with 7 brutes on their own."

"Gaius, I think we should probably tell you something." Merlin said, making me glare at him. What did we need to tell him? "She knows about my gift. And the prophecy, she's part of it too."

"But I don't know which part yet." I pointed out. "I have two theories I am currently working on."

Gaius looked at Merlin in horror. "You told her? Do you know how dangerous and foolish that was?" He yelled at the young warlock.

"No, Gaius, you misunderstood. Merlin didn't tell me, and he didn't do anything stupid either. I already knew about the prophecy before coming here. I even know the name given to him by the druids. So please, don't be angry at him." I pleaded, giving him my best puppy dog eyes.

I saw him relax a little. It was clear he cared for Merlin, and maybe him knowing that I was there to help keep the warlock out of trouble would ease his mind a little.

"Right, I should probably head to my chamber now." I let out a sigh. "I don't think Gwen is going to be to impressed with the extra work I've created for her." I stood up and smiled at both of them. "Thank you, Gaius. And thank you as well, Merlin." I said, before turning away and heading out of the door.

I was just reaching the corridor my chamber was down when I heard someone calling my name. I turned around and saw Arthur running towards me. "You bellowed, My Lord?" I said, curtseying to him.

I saw huge grin on his face. "What happened to your dress?" I asked, pointing to the missing sleeve.

"Oh, I decided I liked this look better. Two sleeves are just so overrated." He clearly had no idea what I was going on about. "I cut it off so Gaius could tend to the wound better."

"How is your arm?" He asked, that little hint of concern showing even more now.

"Still not about to drop off. I think I may actually live through this one. Sorry to disappoint you." I saw him roll his eyes at me. "Have you spoken with your father?"

He nodded. "He is sending out some more patrols. He was shocked that they had managed to get so close to the city." I nodded in agreement. Coming across a bandit was bad at anytime, but so close to the city would mean a lot worse would happen. "I also told my father that we shall not being joining him for dinner tonight."

I frowned at him. "And why would you do that?"

"Because I was hoping that you would join me in my chamber for dinner. Since we never had the chance to sit and talk properly earlier. I'm sorry the day did not go as planned."

"Oh, nonsense. I thought it was brilliant." He raised an eyebrow at my enthusiasm. "What? I did. Most fun I've had in ages."

"You call that fun? Fighting off bandits and getting hurt?" He pointed to my arm.

All I could do was smile at him. "Absolutely. For once, I feel like I'm actually alive and not just living."

He shook his head at me. "So, dinner?"

"My Lord, it would be an honour dining with you tonight." I said, faking a very dramatic swoon.

"Is this how you usually are?"

I thought about it for a moment. Back home on the farm, no, this was definitely not me. But if I was home, with my family, then yes, this was more like how I used to be. "I'm not sure yet. Maybe. I'll let you know when I've decided. I'm trying out a few new personalities until my memory returns."

"I should have you locked up for being insane." Arthur pointed out, trying not to laugh.

My face turned serious. "Go on then." I held out my hands. "Toss me in the dungeons and throw away the key."

"I'm starting to wonder if that hit to the head hasn't done some more serious damage." Arthur told me seriously. I could tell he was serious from the look in his eyes.

I let my hands drop to me side and sighed. "Would you prefer it if I went back to gazing at the floor all day and calling you sire? Because I can." I said, letting my eyes slowly drift towards the floor.

I felt a hand under my chin and my gaze was brought back up to Arthur's eyes. "No, I think it's more interesting having the Princess of Strangeness around. But as long as you are sure you're alright." I had a strange feeling in my stomach, something that I just couldn't explain.

"I promise you, Arthur, I am fine. I'm not really crazy, well, not much anyway but that's beside the point. The point is, this is the first time in such a long time that I am actually happy."

His worried face changed and there was his beautiful smile. Did I really just think he had a beautiful smile? Maybe I really was losing the plot. "I'm glad to see you happy."

"I need to hide this dress before Gwen see's it." I whispered to him.

"Too late." He said, nodding behind me. I turned around and saw her coming out of my chamber.

"Lady Isabella! What happened to your dress?" She called, rushing over.

"I will see you for dinner." Arthur said, smirking at me before darting into his own chamber.

"Oi, that's not fair!" I cried as he shut the door. I let out a sigh and turned to face Gwen. "I'm sorry about the dress, Gwen. There was a slight incident with some bandits earlier."

"Are you okay?" She said, looking at my bandaged arm.

"I'm fine, but I'm afraid the dress didn't fare as well as I." I said, holding out the sleeve that I had cut off.

0000

Arthur sat down and kicked off his boots. It had been an interesting day to say the least. He had actually managed to achieve what he set out to do, he had got her to look at him. But he ended up getting more than he bargained for, he managed to prise her out of her shell and see what she is really like.

He had seen her laugh and smile and be completely at ease with him. That moment when she was so close to him, telling him about the bandits, he had a strong urge to kiss her. He had been seriously contemplating it when they were attacked.

Isabella had been right, they never would have survived that attack without her. Her skills with a sword were like nothing he had ever seen before. She was graceful, yet brutal and he had seen the determination in her eyes. Arthur had never seen a woman fight like that before, even Lady Morgana.

Then there was the immense concern and worry that flooded him when he realised she had been hurt. She had been so calm and didn't seem to be phased by it at all, while Arthur was worrying enough for the pair of them.

The Prince just couldn't seem to explain what was so interesting about Isabella. She was starting to treat him as she had done that first day they met, acting like he was just a nobody and treating him like a person. He was glad to see her being herself, and not staring at the ground all the time.

Now he had to put his next plan into action. Arthur's first task had been accomplished, she was now looking at him and not the ground. The next would come into affect at dinner. He couldn't help but let himself smile, she was a refreshing change from the stuck up nobles who came to visit. And she was most definitely not as annoying or patronising as Morgana.

0000

Gwen hadn't been too angry about the dress, which was a relief really. I was slightly worried that she was going to moan about the extra work I had created for her and that she was going to go off on a rant like my mother used to about being more careful.

"You seem a lot happier." Gwen pointed out as she helped me get changed for dinner.

"Well, it's very astonishing what a surprise attack by bandits can do to someone." Gwen looked at me oddly, everyone seemed to be doing that. "When we were away from the castle, I felt like I could just be myself. I didn't have to be a princess, I could just be me. And it was nice to just be me for a while."

"How are you getting along with Prince Arthur?" She asked, tightening the dress at the back. That was the problem with these dresses not fitting, Gwen had to work extra hard to make them suitable.

"Fine, I guess. He calls me strange, I call him arrogant. Apparently, I also infuriate him and am the most stubborn woman he has ever met. Oh and I think he may have also called me intolerable at some point as well." Gwen finished with the back of the dress and turned me around, inspecting her work.

"Prince Arthur can sometimes find it hard to adjust to new people. He does like to think he is better than everyone else." She looked me over one more time. "There, that will be perfect."

I turned and looked at myself in the long floor standing mirror. I was wearing a light purple dress, which trailed behind me. The sleeves were hugging my arms before reaching my wrists where they dropped. It still didn't fit me properly, because of how skinny my frame was, but Gwen had done a really good job adjusting it so that it did fit better.

"Thank you, Gwen. You are amazing. And I really am sorry about the dress." Yes, I was still worrying about.

"It's fine. As long as you are okay." Gwen told me, leading me over to the vanity dresser. "Now, what shall we do with your hair tonight?"

It had been up all day, and it was starting to give me a headache. "It's been up all day, I think it's time to just let it down." I said, pulling the ribbons and pins out from my hair and letting it fall over my shoulders.

As Gwen brushed my hair, I replayed some of the day's events. It really had done me the world of good getting out for a while. Whatever I was doing, stuck in the past, it was better than my life in the future. Back on he farm, I had no friends and no real family. But here, I had already made a friend in Merlin, and maybe there was a chance that I did have a family here as well. All I could do was hope.

I thought back to that dream, I hadn't actually slept since then, I was too afraid to in case I had another nightmare. My brothers had been older, probably around the age they would be if they had still been alive. I could still tell it was them, with their light brown hair and hazel eyes. They had grown up, they weren't little boys anymore, they were men.

"Lady Isabella?" Gwen called.

I shook myself out of my thoughts and looked up. "Yes Gwen?"

"Are you sure your alright?" She asked, putting the brush down and studying me carefully.

"Honestly, I really am fine. I was just trying to remember my brothers." She gave me a sad smile and I knew that she wasn't going to push the matter any more. I hadn't lied to her, not really. I was thinking about my brothers.

"Well, I think you're all set." She said, as I stood up from the chair and looked at her nervously. I had no idea why I was suddenly so nervous.

"Dinner with the Prince. What could possibly go wrong?" I said sarcastically. Actually, there was a lot that could do wrong. I could eat too much and be sick all over the place or I could clam up again and start avoiding Arthur. I could make a complete fool of myself. Yes, there was a lot that could go wrong.

"Good luck. I don't know how you can put up with him." Gwen said.

"You get used to it after a while. I mean, he is a complete prat. And not to mention really rather rude at times as well." I wasn't doing very well trying to convince her how nice Arthur really was. He was her future husband after all. "But he cares, in his own, weird little way. He just needs someone to take him down a peg or two." I forgot how much they wouldn't be able to understand some of my language. "He needs to be put in his place."

"I'm sure you will have no problem doing that." I gawped at her. "You seem like just the right person to do it."

"No, no Gwen. I am most definitely not the right person. If anything, I am the completely wrong person. There is someone else out there much better suited for the job." I insisted. She was that person, it was her who was going to make him change his ways and turn into a much better man.

"I saw you both earlier. You look good together."

I thought my eyes were going to pop out of me head at her comment. "No, never. Never ever, ever. Not going to happen in a million years. Not under any circumstance. In no way. Ever." I said firmly.

Gwen frowned at me. "But I thought you liked him?"

I couldn't stop the sigh from coming out. "It's complicated." I told her, resting my head in my hands.

"How can it be complicated if you like someone?" The woman still had a lot to learn.

"It just is, it's complicated. Very complicated. One day, you will understand exactly what I mean." I told her without thinking. Great, I had slipped up, again. I could tell from the way she was standing that she wanted me to explain more. "Just say, for instance, that Merlin had feelings for Morgana, and she felt the same way back. It would never work, because of their statuses. Understand?"

Gwen nodded at me. "Yes, but you're a princess and he is a prince. What's wrong with that?"

I was just digging myself a much deeper hole to throw myself in. "My situation is more complicated than the example I gave you."

"I don't understand, how can it be more complicated?"

"You know what, it doesn't matter. He's arrogant, I never said I liked him like that in the first place." I was starting to get a little frustrated now. Didn't people in this time know what to stop asking questions and to just leave it? Clearly not.

Luckily I was saved by a knocking on my chamber door. I quickly shot up and went to the door, anything to avoid more conversation with Gwen about Arthur.

"Ah, just who I didn't want to see, Princess Strange." Arthur said, leaning against the wall.

"Is there anything I can do for you, Oh great Lord of Arrogance?" I said, lowering my head and bowing to him.

I heard him softly chuckle. "It would seem that my idiot manservant can not count and has set two places for dinner in my chamber."

I pretended to look shocked at him. "Oh my, that is terrible news. I do hope you are going to having him in the stocks for the next week."

"I was thinking a month." That was when I let a little giggle escape. I could imagine the astonished look on poor Merlin's face if he was hearing this conversation. "As everyone of importance is busy, including my servant, I wondered if you would join me?"

I pulled a disgusted face. "You want me to sit there and watch you eat like a pig? I would go to a farm if I wanted to see that." He rolled his eyes at me, but there was a smile tugging at his lips. "I have to wash my hair." I told him. His expression didn't change, but his eyes just drew me in further and further. "Fine, I will wash my hair later. Have a good evening, Gwen." I called, before following Arthur to his chamber.

"How's your arm?" He asked, opening the door and letting me walk in first.

"If you ask me that one more time, I'm going to make your life a living hell." I told him, watching as he closed the door. I noticed Merlin standing in the room, having just finished setting down the dinner. "Good evening, Merlin. I hear you are to spend the next month in the stocks for your incompetence."

As expected, he looked at me in horror. "What?" He said, before turning to look at Arthur.

"I will spare you from the stocks if you get out of here right now." Arthur said, glaring at the warlock. Merlin just smiled and nodded before leaving the room. After a moment Arthur turned away from the door and faced me. "How did Guinevere react to the dress?" He asked, pulling a chair out for me to sit down.

"Better than I thought she would, actually. She seemed to be more worried about my arm." I told him, watching him as he sat down opposite me.

"She is a very caring person. I know her and Morgana are rather good friends." He told me as he poured me some wine and handed it to me.

"Yes, she is. Gwen is also rather beautiful." I couldn't help but smirk when I said that. There was theory number three, to get Gwen and Arthur together.

"Is she?" He asked, not really paying much attention as he poured his own drink.

"She is. Do you not think so?" He just shrugged at me. Clearly he had not noticed her properly yet. If my mission was to get them together, it was probably going to be a tough one.

"I'm glad to see that you have not gone back to staring at the floor." For a moment our eyes met, and I instantly wanted to look down at the floor because of it, but I forced myself to smile at him.

"There are only so many times you can count the number of steps from one place to another before you begin to get bored." I told him, making him chuckle.

"Is that what you claim to be doing?" I watched as he started chomping away at the food on his plate. I looked down and saw the mix of meat, vegetables and potatoes. There seemed to be relatively a lot of it, and I knew I would never be able to eat all of it without a rather unfortunate outcome.

"Yes, that was what I was doing. Now I am currently musing over the reasons as to why you have locked the door to your chamber." He almost choked on his food at that point.

"I have no idea what you are talking about Princess." Arthur said, trying to regain himself.

I rolled my eyes at him. "Please, after Merlin left, you locked the door and placed the key in the small pouch on the left hand side of your belt." I stabbed a few vegetables with my fork and raised them to my mouth. "Never take me for an idiot. You'll only ever make yourself look like one." I shoved the food in my mouth and broke eye contact with the prince.

"How on Earth did you know all that?" He asked, leaning back in his chair and staring at me.

"To start, I heard you lock the door. You weren't exactly quiet while doing it. Next time, cover up the noise by talking. Then I saw you slipping it into the pouch as you walked towards me." I took a sip of wine, rather proud of my surveillance skills.

"You're very observant, and extremely strange. You have remarkable fighting skills and are very perceptive." He told me, finally going back to his meal.

"It's how I was brought up. 'Use your eyes. Notice everything.' That's one thing that I always tend to follow." It would seem I had really impressed the Prince.

"I look forward to you teaching my knights a thing or two. How you managed to notice those bandits I will never know. Knowing how many there were and where they were was even more impressive." I blushed a little. I didn't mean to keep impressing him, it was just happening.

"Well, I look forward to putting them to shame, and then possibly their prince as well." I hinted. Yes, I wanted to fight Arthur as well.

"You really think you can take me?" He asked, one eyebrow raised.

I shrugged. "You have your flaws. Everyone does. Even I do, but no one has ever been able to identify them." We all have our weaknesses, but even I didn't know what mine was, so how could anyone else?

"I shall let you observe the knights training, then give you the opportunity to spar with them. If you can defeat all the knights I put you against, then I shall fight you." Arthur said, seeming to have thought it through carefully.

"I can accept that. But you do remember the condition for the battle?" He nodded at me. "Good. I don't want special treatment just because of who I am."

"Oh, I wouldn't dream of it." There was a smirk on his face. Things really didn't seemed to be going too badly. "How is your meal?" He asked, noticing that the only thing I had touched was the vegetables.

"Very nice, thank you." I said, stabling some more vegetables.

"You're still not eating much." And there was the concern again. Why was he so worried?

"For a start, we have been talking. I have more manners than to speak with my mouth full of food. And as I have already explained, I don't have very big appetite."

He looked at me a little sheepishly, before smiling and pouring me more wine. Something told me that I was going to be stumbling back to my chamber later if we kept drinking at the rate we were going.

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**A/N: Big thank you to everyone who had reviewed, keep them coming. **

**I'm gokeep to keep this sort, you're all amazing and fantastic. **

**Pippa. **


	6. Revenge and Flirting

**A/N: Hey guys, I am so sorry for the long wait. Life got in the way, big time. But here is the next chapter you have so patiently waited for. **

* * *

It was well over two hours later that we finally moved away from the table. I hadn't eaten everything. But Arthur didn't really push me to eat too much, he seemed to accept that I wasn't going to eat everything on my plate and left it at that.

He did, however, keep filling my goblet up whenever he felt it was necessary. "My Lord, are you trying to get me completely and utterly wasted?" I asked him, making sure not to slur my words. It was clear from the look on his face he had no idea what I was talking about. The term 'wasted' didn't mean the same as what I use it for. "Am I going to have to crawl back to my chamber?"

"What are you implying, My Lady?" He asked, topping me up, again.

"That either this is a bottomless goblet, or you keep filling it up at every chance." I said, taking a sip and watching the Prince closely.

"I am a gentleman and a prince. I would never do such a thing." He insisted, but I could see the smirk on his face.

"A prince you may be, but you are yet to prove that you are a gentleman." I told him, getting up from where we had been sitting by the fire and over to the window. I could see the coldness in the air, winter was fast setting in.

"Isabella? Is everything alright?" Arthur asked, coming and standing next to where I was resting.

"Do you think the men your father sent will make it to Elbear safely?" I asked, biting my lip a little.

"Of course they will. They are fine, strong men. There is no need for you to worry about them." He assured me, placing a hand on my shoulder.

"The further north they go, the worse the weather will get. It's not exactly the best time of year to go that way." I told him, still focusing on the view outside.

"My men are experienced, they will make it to your kingdom and return in perfect health." Somehow I didn't share his enthusiasm.

"I really hope your right, Arthur. I wouldn't want something to happen to them because they went out there because of me." And that was the truth. They had been sent out into the harsh weather to visit the kingdom that I was supposedly from.

"You know, you keep surprising me." I turned and looked at him, a little bemused. "The first time I met you, you gave me so much attitude and were completely rude to me. Then you acted somewhat shy, keeping yourself closed off. Today I saw you showing braveness and courage, as well as stubbornness." I let out a little laugh while he grinned at me. If anything, I knew I was stubborn. "But you've also shown that you are very caring. You're worrying about people you don't even know."

"Yeah, well, that's just me." I whispered. For some reason my mood seemed to be dropping. The evening had been wonderful, even if I had been locked in the same room as Arthur. We had talked, and laughed, and teased each other a great deal. But now, worry and fear were starting to flood me.

"Isabella, is something else bothering you?" There was, but I didn't know if now was the right time to talk to anyone about it. I was confused about a lot of things, maybe someone else view and opinion would help me.

"I'm worried about my family. Although I can't remember them, that dream I had seemed so real. There is something telling me that my uncle cannot be trusted. I don't even remember him and yet I am afraid of him." I turned and looked at him, his blue eyes showing concern. "What does that say about me?"

"It says that you are cautious and do not rush in. Remember, I did have to bring you here against your will. You were not willing to go anywhere with complete strangers. You have a perfectly good head on your shoulders."

"Well, I'd be worried if it was at the end of my arm." I said sarcastically. "But thank you. I know we don't really know each other very well, and I know you find me annoying and stubborn, amongst other things."

"Well, I am sure that we will get to know each other better over time. I already feel, that after today, I know you a little better." I smiled at him, he was right, he had learnt a few new things about me over the past day.

"I think, I may head back to my chamber now. It has been a long day after all." I said, getting up from where I was perched by the window.

"Of course. It is long past midnight. I wouldn't want to deprive you of your sleep." He said, taking the goblet from my hand and placing it on the table next to his.

"What ever will people think if they saw me leaving your chamber at such a late hour?" I said in mock horror. Arthur couldn't help but laugh at me as he pulled the key out and unlocked the door. "Next time, you really don't have to lock me in here with you. I promise not to run off and climb a tree again." I paused. "Without good reason."

"And what would count as a good reason?" I shrugged at him. I hadn't work that out yet. "May I escort you to your room, my Strange Princess?" I asked, holding out his arm to me.

"I am sure I can make it the short distance without causing injury to myself or anyone else." I informed him, going to step out of the door.

"But My Lady, these corridors can be dangerous. And you are not armed." Arthur said, forcing my arm through his before leading me to my room.

Once we were standing outside the door we were both silent. "Thank you, for dinner. I enjoyed myself." I said, breaking the silence.

"You are most welcome. I enjoyed myself as well. I find your company isn't as bad as I had expected." I rolled my eyes at him.

"Your arrogance is just as bad as I expected, dear Prince." I replied, putting my hand on the handle, ready to open the door.

I felt someone gently take my free hand and looked up at Arthur. "Goodnight, Isabella." He said, before kissing the back of my hand. I felt my stomach knot and my face flush.

"Goodnight Arthur." I whispered, before making a quick and graceful get away into my room. The first thing that hit me when I entered the room was the freezing air. "It's bloody cold in here." I said, maybe a little too loudly.

I heard Arthur still standing outside of the door and laughing. I quickly opened it again, much to his surprise. "Do you find this amusing, my oh so arrogant Prince?"

"I have never heard a lady speak the way you do sometimes." He said, still grinning away from his laughter.

"I'm no ordinary lady, you should know that by now. And, since you found this amusing, you had best watch your back." He frowned at me, wondering what I meant. "I had two brothers, I know how to get revenge." I warned him.

"Are you threatening me, Princess?"

I smiled at him. "Oh, I do not make threats." He relaxed a little. "I make promises. Goodnight." I closed the door, making sure to give him a smirk before I did so.

I sprinted over to the bed, grabbing my nightdress as I did. It really did seem so much colder in my chamber than it had been in Arthur's, even with the fire still going. I slipped off the shoes and hurriedly got out of the dress I had dinner in. I had to confess, it was a lot harder than I had anticipated, but I managed it eventually. But the time I had my nightgown on I was overcome with exhaustion and curled up under the covers.

Maybe tonight I would try to get a little sleep. But only a little. I closed my eyes and let my mind drift, before I eventually drifted off.

0000

_I was on my knees, my eyes fixed on the broken and bloodied body of my mother. It couldn't see very well as my vision was blurred by the tears that were swimming in my eyes. I was screaming, but could hear my brothers shouting over the sound. _

"_Get her out of here, this whole place is going to collapse if she doesn't go." Mitchel shouted. That was the first time that I had noticed the rubble starting to pile up around me. The throne room was shaking and the ceiling was about to cave in. _

"_Bella, come on, you have to go now." Dominic told me softly, grabbing me by the arms. No matter how much I protested and tried to pull away, he wouldn't let me. _

_When he had finally managed to pull me away I found myself sitting in my chambers. "What are we going to do? She can't stay here, it's too dangerous." Dominic was speaking to our brother. _

"_We have to send her away." Was all Mitchel said, before shoving a large leather satchel in my arms. "Bell, you have to leave now, you have to go. It isn't safe here and you know that." _

_I brushed my tears away and looked up at him. "You can't send me away. I have to stay and fight. He killed our mother and father, I am not going to let him get away with it." I tried to say it firmly, but my voice was cracking and I was emotionally exhausted._

"_We're sorry, Bella, but you have to leave. This will explain everything." He showed me a letter before putting it in a silver box and muttering a few words. I saw his eyes flash gold before he put it in the bag. "It will only open when it is time. I promise, you will be safe." _

"_I don't want to go. You can't make me go." I cried, holding onto Dominic's hand tightly. "Please, I don't want to go." The tears just kept on rolling down my cheeks. _

"_I'm sorry. We both are. But remember, we both love you, little sister." Dominic said, before pulling himself away from me and standing next to Mitchel. _

_Then they started muttering something, something I couldn't hear over the blood pounding in my ears. I saw their eyes flash gold and all I could do was scream. _

0000

"Isabella?" Someone called. "Isabella, it's Merlin. Wake up." My eyes shot open and I saw the warlock looking down at me in concern. "You're okay. You're in Camelot."

"I know where I am, Merlin." I snapped at him. "Sorry." I mumbled, before closing my eyes and feeling a few tears escape.

"Did you have another nightmare?" He asked me softly. I just nodded at him. "And do you think it was your memory?" Again, I nodded.

"The box." I whispered, jumping off the bed and running over to where the bag I had been found with lay on the floor. I rummaged through it until I found the same silver box I had seen in my dream. "Oh, that… really wasn't a dream."

"Isabella, is everything okay?" Merlin asked, coming and kneeling beside me where I was sitting on the floor.

I tried to prise the box open, but it wouldn't budge. There was no lock on it, so it didn't need a key. Maybe it was just stuck? "Merlin, can you open this for me?" I asked him passing it to him.

As soon as it was in his hands he dropped it as if it was on fire. I looked at him and saw his wide eyes. "That… that's been locked by some seriously strong magic. Where did you get it?" He asked me, not daring to touch the box again.

"I think my brothers gave it to me. I think they used a transportation spell to get me away from Elbear." I sunk down lower on the floor, thinking. "I need to talk to Arthur." I said after a few minutes, getting up and running behind the screen.

"He isn't up yet. That's why I came to check on you first. How much wine did you get through last night?" Merlin asked as I pulled a clean dress over my head.

"I don't know. I lost count after a while." I moment later I emerged, dressed and ready to see the prince. "But I do know I need to speak with him." I glanced down at the box. "Merlin, could you do me a favour, and hide that for me? If Uther ever found it…" I didn't need to say anymore, he knew exactly what I meant. "Thank you."

He took off his neckerchief and picked up the box with that, afraid to touch it any other way. "You sure you're okay?" He asked, opening the door for me.

"I just need to talk to Arthur." I said, rushing along to his room.

When I opened the door I found that Merlin had been right, he was still sound asleep. He was lying on top of the covers, still dressed in last night's clothes. I spotted a jug of water on the table and dipped my finger in it to check the temperature of it. It was rather cold, that was all I needed.

I glanced over at the sleeping prince, there was something about him, something that made me want to smile. I picked it up and walked over to the bed, being as quiet as I could. I bit my lip and closed my eyes before pouring the contents on the sleeping prince. He woke up in an instant.

"Merlin!" He shouted, before he realised it was me. "Isabella?"

I nodded at him. "Revenge." I said, not able to even force a smile on my face.

That was when Arthur knew that something was wrong. "Isabella, what's happened?"

"I… I had another dream." My voice came out as a whisper and he quickly took my hand and sat me down on the dry part of the bed next to him. His eyes were begging me to tell him what happened. "We were under attack, and the castle was falling apart. The city was burning. My brothers…" No, I couldn't tell him that they used magic to send me there, Uther would accuse me of having it in an instant and I would be dead the next day. "They… drugged me or something. Then they sent me away. They told me it was dangerous and that I needed to leave."

"Do you know who was attacking?" He asked me softly, stilling holding onto my hand tightly.

"I'm sure it was my uncle. He killed my parents, so who else could it have been?" I was losing my family all over again.

"We should tell my father." I shook my head at him. "Isabella, if your kingdom has been attacked, then we need to do something about it."

"We don't know if it was real yet. It may have just been a dream. We can't go and tell the King that I'm dreaming of my kingdom being attack. He would accuse me of sorcery, especially if it were true." Maybe telling Arthur hadn't really been a bright idea after all. At least I didn't tell him about the box.

"Are you absolutely sure?" He asked. I still didn't understand why he always seemed so concerned for me.

"Yes. All we can really do is wait for your men to return. If my dreams are true, then they can confirm it." I let out a sigh. That dream had made me just feel even more lost than I already was. "I'm sorry for waking you. I should probably leave you now." I went to stand up but Arthur pulled me back down.

"I'm glad you trust me enough to tell me, Isabella. Try not to worry too much, I will make sure everything is fine." That time I managed to give him a real smile.

"Thank you, Arthur. You know, I'm actually starting to think that you kidnapping me wasn't so bad an idea after all." I dread to think what would have happened to me if they hadn't have found me. There were bandits and slave traders all over the place, I would not have survived long.

"I was never going to just leave you there, even if you hadn't passed out." Now I was curious.

"Why?"

"There's something about you." He told me, gazing at me and still not letting go of my hand. "You're so different from anyone I have ever met."

"I'm one of a kind. I don't think the world could handle there being two of me, so be grateful my brothers were the twins."

"It's not just that." He said, still keeping his gaze. "You treat me like a person, not a prince. You make me laugh, I think I've laughed more the past day then I have for years."

Oh no. Now I'm in trouble. What exactly was the prince trying to say? "You've known me for all of three days. Give it time I'm sure before the week is out you won't be able to stand the sight of me." I told him, still feeling a little confused. The way he was looking at me wasn't helping much either.

"I very much doubt that, Isabella." He told me softly.

Not good, really not good. "Only time will tell. Honestly, you call me infuriating, intolerable, stubborn, and probably many other things when I am out of earshot. Face it, Arthur, I'm the annoying little sister you never had." I said, trying to steer it away from where I thought it was leading.

"No, Morgana is more the annoying sister I never wanted." He told me, not taking his eyes off me. His stare was starting to make me feel just a little bit uneasy.

"Okay, so I'm the cousin that you see twice a year that you absolutely can not stand." I told him, getting up from his bed and moving over to the window. There were people down in the courtyard, all of them were wrapped up against the chilly weather.

"Again, I have to disagree with you there. No one in my family would act the way that you do." There was this little gleam in his blue eyes, and it was drawing me in more and more.

"That's because I am unique. No one in my family acted like me either, I'm probably the crazy one." Back home I used to be so full of life, but then moving to the farm, it felt like all the life had been sucked out of me. Now, being here, it felt like someone was giving it all back to me.

That's when Merlin decided to come bursting through the doors. "Merlin, how many times have I told you to knock?" Arthur yelled, annoyed that his manservant had interrupted.

"Oh, so you're awake now. Good." Merlin said, going and picking up the dirty clothes that were scattered across the floor.

"Yes. Someone decided that I needed to have a jug of cold water thrown over me." He said, looking at me with a look that was more playful than angry. "So you best make sure that this bed is dry completely before tonight."

Merlin looked at me, slightly annoyed that I had given him more work to do. Which, to be honest, is fair enough. It was me who caused the mess after all. "Well, I should probably leave you to… umm… get changed?" I suggested, looking at him in his wet clothes. "I'll see you later, Arthur, Merlin." I said as I headed for the door.

"Isabella?" I turned around and looked at Arthur, wondering what he wanted. "Everything is going to be fine, I promise you."

I nodded at him and left, almost walking straight into Morgana and Gwen as I did. "Oh, sorry. I wasn't looking." I said quickly.

"Everything alright, Isabella?" Morgana asked, watching me carefully.

"Of course. I was just helping Merlin to wake Prince Arthur up." I told them, a sly grin on my face.

I saw Morgana raise an eyebrow. "And how did you do that, exactly?" She asked. I could see I hopeful smile forming on her face.

"A nice jug of cold water. Done the job perfectly." I told her, watching as both she and Gwen burst out laughing.

Unfortunately, we were still standing outside Arthur's chamber and he had heard the laughter. "Something amusing you, ladies?" He asked, opening the door and looking at us all. I noticed that he was out of the wet clothes now and wearing a red shirt. Red really did look good on him, it was a good job that was Camelot's colour.

"Whatever made you think that, sire?" I asked, trying to act as innocent as I could.

"It sounded like old women cackling out here just a moment ago. Would you happen to know anything about that?" He was now leaning against the doorframe, and my mind just started to drift off to somewhere completely different. He was hansom that was certain. His eyes were something interesting as well, when ever I looked at them I felt something tugging at my insides. It wasn't a bad feeling, but it was still something I couldn't explain.

"Isabella?" Arthur called, looking at me with a worried expression.

I shook my head. "Sorry, what?"

"Everything will be fine." He told me, giving me a very serious look. I was still puzzled as to why he even cared so much.

"I know." I whispered. "Now, if you will excuse us, sire, I believe Morgana and I have some plotting and planning to do." I told him, linking my arm through Morgana's, a smile on my face.

"Really?" He asked, sounding a little worried.

"Oh yes, my dear prince. Morgana and I have much to do today." I saw a smirk on Morgana's face out of the corner of my eye. "Enjoy your day, sire." I called as the pair of us began to walk away from him, Gwen following quickly behind.

"You really know how to annoy Arthur, don't you?" Morgana asked as we made our way through the castle.

"But of course I do, Morgana. Now, I know for a fact that he shall be training the knights soon. Would you care to join me in distracting as many men as possible?" I asked her.

She let out a small laugh. "I can think of nothing better." And with that, we both headed outside of the castle and towards the training ground.

"How have you been sleeping, Morgana?" I asked her as we walked. I knew she suffered from nightmares, and I could relate to that.

"I keep having nightmares." She admitted, her voice going quieter.

"You're not the only one, Morgana." The dark haired woman looked at me curiously. "I've been having nightmares, about my family. Only… only I don't think they are just nightmares." I whispered to her.

"Neither are mine. What I see in my dreams, it often comes to pass." Morgana told me, tightening her grip on my arm.

I looked at her and smiled. "What are we like, Morgana? Both of us have to suffer the arrogance of that intolerable prince, we both know how to annoy our dear prince, and we both have nightmares."

"We do make a good pair don't we?" She replied, a small smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

"I'm always here if you want to talk to me, Morgana. I know it isn't easy having nightmares, and having someone to share them with may help to easy them a little." I told her just as we reached the training ground.

To my surprise she hugged me tightly. "You truly are wonderful. I'm so glad that you're here." She whispered to me as I returned the embrace.

"You know what? So am I, Morgana. Camelot is a lot more fun than I expect it to be." When we pulled away we noticed Arthur approaching his knights. "Come, let's find the perfect spot to annoy, I mean watch, Arthur." I told her, a sly grin on my face. Morgana's expression matched that of my own.

We had been sitting watching quietly for some minutes, just enjoying being out in the fresh air with company. "Come on then, name the knights. I know who Sir Leon is, he was the first person I met. He seems kind and sweet, but deadly with a sword."

Morgana started listing off the names of all the knight on the training ground, going into some detail about who they were and what their strengths were. "Now, the only question is, how easily distracted are they?" I asked her, a plan forming in my head.

"Oh, what do you have in mind?" Morgana asked, a twinkle in her eye.

"Well, I am sure they are used to crowds during tournaments, but what about young women giggling away whilst watching them?" I asked her.

"Shall we find out?" She asked, all I did was nod my head and we both fell about laughing.

All the knights, including Arthur, stopped and looked over at us. We quickly composed ourselves and our loud laughs turned into quiet giggles. After a few moments they turned away, carrying on with their training.

"Well, that certainly got their attention. Now that they know we are here, they aren't going to resist looking at us." And Morgana was right.

"Time for phase two. The whispers and giggles whenever one of them looks over." I told her, I felt like a child inside.

We waited, and soon Sir Leon looked over at us. Morgana whispered something in my ear, which I giggled at and lightly whacked her on the arm.

One of the other knights looked over, and it was my turn to whisper to Morgana. She didn't just giggle, she gave the knight who was watching us a flirty smile. By this time, Arthur had noticed that something was distracting his knights, and that there seemed to be a lot of giggling going on.

He turned around and gazed at us both. "Isabella's in love with Arthur." Morgana sung in my ear.

"I most certainly am not." I said, maybe a little too loudly. All the knights had stopped again and were all looking at us. "Busted." I groaned, as Arthur came sauntering over to us. He stopped and stood right in front of me, completely blocking my view. "Sorry, Arthur, can you move to your right a little." He looked at me quizzically, taking a step in the direction I told him. "No, a little bit more. You're still blocking my view." I told him, causing Morgana to break out in a fit of laughter.

"You are disturbing my training session." He sounded slightly frustrated and a little bit angry.

"It's your knights that are doing that. They just can't take their eyes off us." I told him, tilting my head a little and looking at the knights behind him.

Arthur turned around sharply and glared at his knights. All of them quickly pretended to be doing something. "Shouldn't the pair of you be in the castle doing… girls… stuff…"

"Arthur, we are doing girls stuff." I told him softly. "I'm trying to find Morgana a suitor, and she is trying to find one for me." I said, causing Morgana's smile to widen. "Except none of your knights seem to be able to meet our standards. I shall have to take Morgana back to Elbear with me and find her one there."

Morgana turned and looked at me. I could tell from the look in her eyes that she was plotting something. "But Isabella, if you could not find yourself a husband there, what makes you think I shall find one?"

"My dear Morgana, the men from my kingdom are only of the finest breed. The only reason I did not find one was because I didn't have you to help me." I could actually feely the annoyance radiating from the prince still standing before me.

"Well, we can't have that. We must ride to Elbear immediately and find each other a worthy husband." She told me. I knew she was trying to annoy Arthur just as much as I was, and it seemed to be working.

"As Prince of Camelot, I forbid either of you from leaving the city." He growled at us.

That was when Morgana and I knew our fun was over. For some reason, Arthur was almost at breaking point. "We are not children, Arthur. You cannot simply tell us what to do, especially not me." I told him, standing up and glaring at him. "Come, Morgana, something in the area is making me very irritable all of a sudden. Maybe I'm allergic to something."

I had to hold in my laughter as we both walked away from the stunned and annoyed prince. We heard him shouting at his knights, and then at Merlin. Overall, it had been a very productive day so far.

* * *

**A/N: Again, I am so sorry for the long time you all had to wait. Thank you for sticking with me during my 'messed up' little time. **

**Well, I hope you liked this chapter, A few people have asked me when I'm going to start with the episodes. The answer to that is, I don't know yet. At the moment the focus is on Isabella and Arthur, with a large helping of Merlin. I'll just have to see how it all goes. **

**Now, thank you to everyone who has favour tied or followed, you guys are awesome. And those of you who have left a review, you guys are super awesome, I love them. **

**So feel free to leave me a review on this chapter, or PM if you want, I don't mind. **

**Pippa.**


	7. Hiding and Protecting

**A/N: Again, I'm sorry for my stupid lack of updates. I'm trying my best to get back on track.**

* * *

It turned out, Arthur had actually been very serious about not letting either of us leave. He claimed to be worried about me to his father, and the king agreed that I would only be allowed to leave the city if I was accompanied by either Arthur or several knights. Poor Morgana had suffered the same as well. Arthur concocted a lie that she was planning on taking some dangerous trip and taking me with her.

Three days passed, and I had hardly spoken to the prince, I had barely left my room, unless it was to see Morgana. The nightmares seemed to have stopped for me as well, I had slept without waking up once, but I think that was only thanks to the draught that Gaius had given me.

I knocked on Morgana's door and Gwen opened it, a smile on her face. I smiled back at her and entered the room, letting my eyes fall on the grinning lady sitting at her dresser. "Good morning, good morning. I slept the whole night through, good morning, good morning, to you." I sang as I skipped over to her like a little child.

Morgana looked at me blankly. "Good morning, Isabella. Are you feeling alright?" She asked, getting up from her chair and coming over to hug me.

I frowned at her. "I'm fine, why wouldn't I be?"

"Well, I've never heard you singing before."

I shrugged my shoulders as she let me go. "I don't usually have any reason to sing. But I thought I might as well give you a sample of my dreadful singing voice."

"Isabella, that wasn't dreadful, far from it." Morgana insisted as we sat in our usual spots looking out of the window.

"No, it really was. I haven't sung in such a long time. Back home I used to…" I stopped when there came a loud banging on the door.

Gwen moved and answered it, and seeing the Prince standing there, pulled it open all the way, allowing him to enter the room. "Isabella, my father has requested your presence in the council chambers immediately." He told me, seeming a little annoyed.

I got up and smiled at Morgana. "I will see you later." I told her before heading to the door. "Do you know why he has summoned me?" I asked the prince as we walked through the corridors.

"No. All I know is that he has requested both of us to join him straight away." I could tell from his tone that he was telling the truth, and also that he was worried about something.

"What's wrong?" I asked, keeping my eyes focused on the path ahead.

Arthur let out a sigh. "I haven't seen you for three days. Have you been avoiding me?"

"Yes." I told him bluntly. "You had Morgana and I grounded like we were children, all because your knights were too easily distracted."

"I will speak with my father." He told me simply as we reached the council chamber. "Ready?" He asked. I nodded at him and he signalled for the guards to open the doors for us.

"Princess Isabella of Elbear." Uther announced happily. "I have someone here who I am sure you will be pleased to see."

The man standing before the king, who I had failed to notice until now, turned around and looked at me. I gasped in shock as I recognised the man standing before me.

"Oh, my dear Isabella." He said, an evil smirk on his face.

I just shook my head and backed away from him further. Before I knew what was happening, I was running. I could hear someone calling after me, but I didn't dare stop. He had found me, even in a different time, he was able to make my life miserable. How did he even find me? How could anyone have known where I was?

I charged into my room and bolted the door behind me, grabbing my leather satchel that I had arrived with and filling it with whatever would fit. I wasn't bothering to pack fancy clothes, I wasn't going to need them. I was going to need to blend in, go somewhere I won't be recognised, where no one will have heard of me or care who the hell I am. The only problem was, I had no idea where to go.

That was when it struck me, all I needed to do was hide in the last place anyone would look for me. I took my shoes off and threw them out of the window, they actually landed some distance away. _That will have them confused for a while._ I thought to myself as I picked up the bag. I opened the door and could hear the rushing of footsteps. I darted out of my room and into an alcove behind one of the tapestries.

"Isabella!" I heard Arthur calling as he charged into my room. He growled when it found it empty. "She's gone. And by the looks of things, she doesn't plan on coming back." He must have noticed the mess I had left the room in and that some of my things were gone.

"I don't understand. Why would she run away from him? He's her uncle." Merlin asked as they stood in the corridor with a few guards. I had to hold my breath, I was so scared that they were going to catch me.

"I want the whole castle searched, and the rest of the city. Then move onto the villages. She can't be far." Arthur ordered to his guards.

"Arthur, what's going on?" Merlin pushed, wanting to find out why I was in such a panic to get away.

"Did you not see how scared she was of him, Merlin? Did you not see the fear and panic on her face when she saw him?" Arthur was almost shouting now. I wanted to tell him that I was fine, and not to worry, but I couldn't, I needed to hide. "She was having nightmares, and in it, he killed her parents and destroyed her kingdom. Going from her reaction, I say those were memories, not nightmares."

"Then we should tell the king. Get him locked up." Merlin said, ready to go straight back to the king.

"We can't, we don't have any proof, Merlin." Arthur said, letting out a sigh. Arthur had reacted exactly the same was as Merlin when I had told him. "Come on, we need to find her before anyone else does, especially her uncle. He will insist on joining the search for her."

I stayed and listened for a few minutes. Their footsteps died away and every thing was silent apart from the blood pounding in my ears. I carefully moved away from my hiding spot and walked a little down the corridor. Once I reached Arthur chamber, I stopped and opened the door. I knew he wasn't in there, he was out looking for me.

I glanced around the room, wondering if it really was such a good idea to be doing this. I heard footsteps again and threw myself to the floor, crawling under the bed. The only person that was likely to look under there was Merlin, and that was only if Arthur decided to kick something under.

I held my breath as the footsteps grew louder, whoever it was, they were right outside the door. But they didn't stop, they carried on moving. That was when I let the silent tears start to fall.

0000

Arthur and Merlin had been searching all day and well into the night for Isabella. There was no sign of her in the castle, nor in the city. Lord Donald, Isabella's uncle, had insisted on joining one of the patrols to help look for her. Arthur had not been able to trust that man. It wasn't just because of what Isabella had told him, there was just something about him that seemed wrong.

"Sire, it's getting very late." Sir Leon informed him. "We should be heading back. The horses need resting and so do the men."

Arthur didn't want to stop, not until he had found her, but he knew Leon was right. "We send a different patrol straight out to continue the search." He announced as he turned his horse around and began the trek back to the castle.

"_Isabella? Isabella where are you?"_ Merlin had been trying to call to her in his mind, but she wasn't answering him. That just made him worry about her more. He knew that Arthur was worried, but so was he. For some reason, she was important and had a destiny just like he did.

"Merlin, you might as well get some rest. First thing in the morning we head back out if she hasn't been found." He told his servant. Merlin nodded at him and as soon as they were back at the castle, he headed straight to his chamber.

"Any luck finding Isabella?" Gaius asked as he dragged himself over to the table.

"No. I've never seen Arthur this worried before. He think's that her uncle is a murderer, because she saw him kill her parents in a dream." He told him, tucking into the supper that was waiting for him.

"Her dreams?" Gaius questioned. Merlin just nodded at him, his mouth full of stew. "I fear Arthur may be right." The young warlock just looked at the old man in confusion. "Sometimes memories can return in the form of a dream. The subconscious trying to connect to the consciousness." He explained.

"So, do you think he really did kill her parents?" Merlin asked, before shovelling another spoonful into his mouth.

"I am not in a position to say. Now eat up and get some rest." Gaius said, before getting back to his work.

Once Merlin had finished eating he went to his room and threw himself on his bed. The moment he closed his eyes he fell straight to sleep.

The next morning, Merlin woke up with a strange feeling. For some reason, he could feel some very strong magic. He couldn't explain it at first, until he realised where he had felt it before. He jumped off his bed and pulled up the loose floorboard, before reaching his hand into the hole and pulling out the silver box he had been hiding for Isabella.

As soon as he touched it, the magic faded and the lid slipped off. He noticed a piece of parchment inside, with the Lagoon seal imprinted in the wax. Without hesitation he carefully opened it and read the note. His eyes widened as he read it before rushing out of the room.

"Merlin!" Gaius called to the boy. "Where are you going in such a hurry?" He asked.

"Arthur. I have proof." Was all he said, before charging out of the door and to the prince's chamber.

As he expected, Arthur was awake, looking as though he had not slept all night. "Arthur…" He panted, trying to catch his breath. "I found this…" He held the note out and gave it to him.

"Where did you find this?" Arthur asked, taking it from him, inspecting the wax seal.

"Isabella's room. She must have dropped it or something." He lied.

Arthur eyed him carefully before reading the note.

'_Isabella, we are both sorry for sending you away, but it isn't safe. Donald is a traitor, I'm sorry, he killed our parents. You must not let him find you, if he does, he will kill you. We will find you soon, we promise. Mitch and Dom.'_

"Isabella was right." He finally said, after reading the note several more times. "And now we have the proof that her uncle is a traitorous murderer." Arthur said in a low growl.

"Has she still not been found?" Merlin asked, concern filling him even more.

"No. And from what I heard, her uncle is getting restless. We need to show this to my father immediately." Arthur told him, heading for the door.

Merlin was right behind him, but stopped when he heard a snuffling noise. "What was that?" The dark haired man asked.

"I've been hearing it all night. It would seem you have a rat to catch." Arthur told him, waiting for him.

Merlin frowned. "That doesn't sound like a rat." He said, lowering himself down and looking under the bed. "Arthur, if that's a rat, then that is the biggest rat I have ever seen." He said, his eyes wide at what he saw.

"Merlin, what on Earth are you talking about?" The prince asked, getting down to Merlin's level and looking under his bed as well. "Isabella…" He whispered, looking at the curled up body of the woman.

"Arthur, why is she under your bed?" Merlin asked before he could stop himself.

"Hiding. No one would bother to look for her in here, and we didn't did we? We looked in every other room in the castle, including Morgana's." Arthur couldn't explain how he was feeling. He was relieved that he had found her, but there was a pain in his chest from seeing her look so broken.

"What are we going to do?" Merlin asked him, not taking his eyes from the woman.

"Get her on the bed." Arthur said, lying flat on his stomach on the floor and reaching for Isabella. He gently pulled her under her arms and out from her hiding place. Then, he picked her up carefully and placed her on his bed. "We can't let anyone know she is here." Arthur said, brushing some of her hair away from her face.

"What about her uncle?"

"I will inform my father of this new information. As soon as that man returns, he shall suffer the punishment for his crimes." Arthur told him, trying to stay strong. "You need to stay here with her. Do not let anyone in, do you understand?"

"Yes, sire." Merlin replied, before looking at the huddled up form on the bed. "She must be cold." He mumbled, before pulling the blankets over her.

"Look after her, Merlin." Arthur said, before leaving the room to go and speak with his father.

Arthur marched quickly through the corridors and the council chambers, hoping that he would be there.

"Arthur!" Someone called behind him. He didn't stop, he was on a mission, he needed to speak with the king. "Arthur!" The voice called again. Suddenly someone grabbed onto his arm, forcing him to stop. "Arthur, has there been any news? Have you found her?" Morgana asked, her eyes pleading for some good news.

"No, I'm sorry, Morgana. If you will excuse me, I need to see my father." He said, turning away from her.

"Arthur, wait!" Morgana called, rushing along next to him. "I don't like her uncle, I don't trust him. There's something wrong about that man." She informed the prince of her feelings.

"I do not trust him either. And I have good reason to." He told her, holding up the letter for her to see.

"What is that, Arthur?"

"Proof. Now come on, you are probably going to want to hear this as well." He took hold of her arm and dragged her along with him to the council chamber.

"Ah, Arthur, there you are." His father said as he entered the room. He quickly looked around to see if Lord Donald was present, but he couldn't see him anywhere.

"Sire, I have reason to believe that Lord Donald attacked the kingdom of Elbear and murdered the King and Queen." He heard gasps and whispers coming from the people in the room. "I also believe that the reason Princess Isabella ran was because he plans to kill her as well."

"Arthur, this is a very serious accusation. What proof do you have?" The king asked.

"My servant found this is Isabella's chamber when he was cleaning. I think you should read it, sire." The prince stepped forward and handed the piece of parchment to his father. He looked over his shoulder and noticed Morgana was almost in tears with what was going on.

The king read the letter to himself, before calling for the guards. "I want that man found. Bring him back to me alive. He will pay for what he has done." The King spat. "You have done well, Arthur. I just hope that we can find the princess safe before he does." Uther got up and clapped his son on the back.

"I shall go and organise some more patrols to search for her." Arthur informed his father, turning a leaving the room. Morgana was hot on his heels.

"Arthur, you have to find her." She pleaded.

"Trust me, Morgana, I am not going to rest until she is found, safe and alive." He assured her.

"You… you really care about her, don't you?" She asked, seeming a little surprised by his reaction and his answer.

"Morgana, how I feel about Princess Isabella or anyone else is nothing to do with you. Her life is in danger, I am doing my duty to protect her." He said, continuing the walk to his chamber.

"I'm sorry. I… I don't mean anything. It's just, she's been a good friend to me. I don't want to see anything happen to her."

"I understand, Morgana. I will do everything I can, do not worry." Morgana nodded at him and they both went their separate ways.

Arthur hurried through the castle and back to his chamber. Once he reached the door her tried to open it, only to find it locked. He quietly knocked on the door. "Merlin, open the door." He hissed.

A moment later the warlock opened the door and let the prince in, locking it again as soon as he was in. "What happened with your father?"

Arthur sat on the side of his bed where Isabella was sleeping. "Lord Donald is to be arrested the moment he is found. My father was not happy and that man will be dealt with severely."

"What are we going to do with her?" Merlin asked, nervously standing at the end of the bed.

The prince let out a sigh. "We have to keep her hidden until her uncle is found and brought to justice. He can't know that she is here. No one can."

Merlin knew that the prince was right. If Lord Donald were out to kill his niece, then as soon as he knew where she was, he would be after her. "So, she stays here?" He asked, wondering if that was what the prince was actually thinking.

"Well, unless you can think of somewhere else to hide her without anyone noticing us getting her out of the castle." He could tell from the tone that Arthur used that he was not going to let her leave his room until everything had settled down.

"Umm, where are you going to sleep?" Merlin asked him, wondering what the prince's answer was going to be.

"Bring another mattress in here. We can't leave her on her own." Arthur told him, turning his attention back to the woman sleeping in his bed. "We have to tell her what's happened as soon as she wakes up. Even if she protests, she must not leave this room."

"Yes, sire." Merlin said. "I'll go and fetch another mattress now, while everything is quiet." He said before leaving the room.

Once he was gone, Arthur moved closer to the body in the bed. He couldn't help but notice how beautiful she seemed to be. Not that he hadn't noticed it before, he had certainly noticed it, but he just seemed more and more drawn to her now.

When she and Morgana had been teasing and flirting with his knights, he actually became jealous. That was when he realised how much he seemed to care for the woman, even though he had only known her for a short time.

0000

"Everything is going to be fine, Isabella. I promise you." I heard someone whispered to me, before gently kissing the top of my head.

"Don't make promises you can't keep." I mumbled, pulling the blankets tighter around myself.

"Isabella? Are you awake?" He asked me quietly.

"No. I'm talking to you in my sleep."

"We need to talk about what happened." He told me softly. There was something in his voice that was telling me that he didn't want to scare me or worry me

I let out a sigh and slowly opened my eyes. "You're going to tell everyone that I'm here, aren't you?" I asked him.

"No. There are people still out looking for you. I'm going to get in a lot of trouble for this when it's all over, but I am not going to tell anyone where you are. The only other person who knows is Merlin." He didn't take his eyes off me.

"Why? Surely you want to hand me over to my uncle?" I questioned, not understanding why he was doing this.

"Isabella, there is something you need to know about your uncle." That was when I realised how serious it was. His voice, his expression, it all gave it away. Something was seriously wrong.

I sat up, the blankets that had been covering me falling away. "What's happened?"

"Merlin found a letter, from your brothers." My eyes widened and it felt like my heart had stopped when he said that. "It confirmed that he killed your parents. And it warned that…" The prince shifted uncomfortably.

"What is it, Arthur?" I pressed, needing to know what was going on.

"It warned that, if he found you, he would kill you as well." He told me quietly. I closed my eyes and the tears started streaming down my face. My dreams had been real, they weren't just nightmares, they were my memories. "Isabella, it's okay, I won't let him hurt you, I promise." He said, wrapping his arms around me as I cried.

"What am I going to do, Arthur? He is probably out there looking for me. What happens when he doesn't find me out there? He won't stop looking, will he?" I choked out as I cried.

"As soon as that man is found, he will be punished. The moment he steps foot in Camelot, he will be dealt with." He assured me, holding me tighter.

"What about my brothers? What if he has killed them as well? What am I going to do?" All I could think about was what had happened to them. Could they really be alive? What if my uncle had killed them already?

"The envoy sent to your kingdom should be there by now. We should hear word from them within the week, if not sooner. You have to trust me, Isabella, I will protect you and look after you." The prince told me, as I tried to control my emotions. They were always getting the better of me, I wasn't strong when it came to my emotions, I always let them take over at the worst possible moments.

"I'm scared, Arthur. I mean, really scared. More scared than when you found me and I held a sword to your throat." I told him, feeling my body start to shake.

"Please don't be scared. You're with me, and I will do everything to keep you safe, Isabella." I felt him gently kiss the top of my head and I let my body relax in his hold. I trusted him, and I believed him. He was not a liar, nor a coward, he was a strong, truthful warrior. He would protect me.

"I'm glad I met you, Arthur." I whispered to him, before letting myself completely collapse into his arms.

0000

Arthur let out a sigh as he settled the woman back into his bed. He had told her what was going on, he had held her as she cried and vowed to keep her safe. He would not go back on his word, he would die trying to protect her if that was what it came down to.

There was a knocking at the door and the prince was quickly on his feet. "Who is it?" He called, knowing he couldn't let anyone see Isabella.

"Sir Leon, sire."

He made his was to the door and opened it, but only enough so that he could fill the gap and keep Isabella out of sight. "What news is there Sir Leon?" He asked his trusted knight.

"There is still no sign of her. No one seems to have seen her. It's like she has just vanished. Also, her uncle has left Camelot. He insisted that he carry on the search, unfortunately we have not been able to find him since he split up with one of the patrols." Leon informed him.

Arthur growled in frustration at this piece of information. That man had escaped from them, and he was still hunting Isabella down. The only relief he felt was that he knew she wouldn't be found by him. "Thank you, Sir Leon. I trust you have heard the reasons as to why he was wanted alive?"

The knight nodded at him. "Yes, sire. We have some men still out looking. But we fear she may have gone further than we think. All we can do is hope that if we cannot find her, then neither can he."

"Inform the knights that tomorrows training is cancelled. You all deserve a break with everything you have done with the search." Arthur told him, knowing that they really had done their best to find her. He didn't like sending them out on a wild goose chase, but it had to be done, to protect Isabella.

"Yes, sire. Thank you." Sir Leon said, before bowing to him and leaving.

Once Arthur closed the door he turned back to the woman, now sleeping again, in his bed. "I will protect you. Whatever it takes." He whispered, before sitting himself back on the edge of the bed and watching her sleep.

* * *

**A/N: Once again, I'm sorry for how long it has taken me to update. But I hope this chapter was worth the wait. The next one is already finished and ready to go, so fingers crossed nothing gets in the way and stops me from updating it on time. **

**Thank you to all who have favourites/followed and a big thank you to everyone who has reviewed. **

**You guys are just totally awesome, you know that right? Of course you do!**

**Pippa.**


	8. Truths and Emotions

Arthur and Merlin had been hiding Isabella for just over a week now. There had been no sightings of her uncle, and the patrols looking for her had started to lessen. The only problem was, she was getting restless. She hated being locked up, and not being able to talk to anyone apart from Arthur and Merlin. They had started to leave her on her own more, she was alone so much of the time and she hated it.

"We can't hide her for much longer, Arthur." Merlin told him as they made their way back after spending the day hunting.

Arthur let out a sigh. "I know. I'm going to tell my father tonight at dinner. He isn't going to be happy with me, I know that much."

The warlock smirked a little. "I'm sure you can handle him." He said, unlocking the door to the prince's chamber. As usual, Isabella was lying on the bed, staring at nothing.

"Merlin, get Isabella a dress for tonight." Arthur called, just to make sure Isabella heard him.

Her head quickly shot up and she stared at the prince. "Why do I need a dress for tonight?" She asked him.

Arthur just smiled at her. "I think it's time you came out of hiding. I want my bed back." He told her as he folded his arms across his chest.

"Why are you doing this all of a sudden? Are you sure it's a good idea? I mean what if he hears and comes back?" Isabella asked in a panic.

"Isabella, calm down." He said, sitting next to her on the bed. "You know what will happen when he is found. And I can't keep you locked up for much longer. It's driving you mad, and I really do want my bed back."

"So, what are you going to tell everyone? I mean, no one is going to believe that you found me on your hunting trip today. How are you going to explain this one?" She asked him.

Arthur let out a heavy sigh. "I'm going to have to tell my father the truth. That you have been hiding in my chamber for the past week."

"You are going to get into so much trouble for this, you know that right?" She told her, feeling a grin forming on her face.

"Don't I know it…" He mumbled.

0000

I wasn't nervous, oh no, I was absolutely petrified. I wasn't sure how Arthur had managed to talk me into actually going along with this.

"You ready?" Arthur asked, holding his arm out to me. I nodded at him and slipped my arm through his. "Isabella, everything is going to be fine."

I nodded at him. "Sure it is. Why wouldn't it be?" I said, not very convincingly.

"Oh, come on. You're finally getting out of my chamber. You have to be happy about that?"

I smirked at him a little. "I sure am. I don't have to listen to your God awful snoring anymore. I thought there was a pig in the room every night."

"That is very rude of you. I do not snore." He protested, but in a rather friendly way.

It wasn't long until we were standing outside the hall where his father and Morgana were most likely getting very impatient waiting for Arthur to arrive for dinner. The guards at the door just looked at me with some rather wide eyes.

"Well, it's now or never." Arthur said, nodding for the guards to open the door.

"I'll take never, thanks." I mumbled, before he dragged me into the room.

"Arthur!" His father called. "Do you know how late…" He trailed off when he saw me, half hiding behind his son. "Princess Isabella!" He cried, getting out of his chair and moving quickly towards me. "Thank the heavens you are safe." He said to me, as he pulled me forwards and hugged me.

I didn't say a word. I just let myself relax a little. The moment he let me go I found myself in someone else's arms. "Isabella! I thought I was never going to see you again." Morgana cried. "I was so worried about you."

"I'm sorry for worrying you, Morgana." I said, hugging her back tightly. I had so badly missed her company, and every day I heard about just how worried she was about me.

"Are you hurt at all? Where have you been?" The woman said, letting a few tears fall down her face. "I've missed you so much."

"I think it's best if I let Arthur explain everything." I told her when she finally let me go.

We all sat down, and another plate was set down in front of me. "I deceived you, father." Arthur said, looking slightly ashamed with himself. "I have been hiding Isabella in my chamber."

The king just looked at him blankly. There was no way to tell what he was thinking. "I think you had better explain yourself, Arthur." He said, rather calmly.

He let out a sigh. "The morning after Isabella disappeared, my servant and I found her curled up under my bed. By then, we had the evidence that confirmed she was in danger from Lord Donald. I took it upon myself to keep her there and protect her. While no one knew she was there, she was safe."

There were a few minutes of silence before the king spoke up. "You did the right thing, Arthur. Although the threat towards Princess Isabella is far from over, you have kept her safe. You used your initiative, I am proud of you."

"I am sorry for the trouble I have caused, sire. The moment I saw my uncle I became scared. I wasn't thinking straight and acted out of fear." I said, keeping my head bowed down.

"Nonsense, my dear. That man is evil and shall be dealt with. We are all just glad you are safe. You are under Camelot's protection, for as long as it is needed." He assured me.

The rest of the meal consisted of a lot of talking, mainly from Morgana who was filling me in on everything that she had been doing. I couldn't help but notice that both Arthur and his father seemed to be happy.

"I'm so glad that you're alright." Morgana said, hugging me for what seemed like the hundredth time since seeing me.

"I'm sorry that you had to worry so much, Morgana. Arthur insisted that no one knew I was still here until he thought it was safe." I told her as eventually released me.

"He was protecting you, and for that I am grateful to him." She said, looking at the man standing next to me. "Promise you will come and see me tomorrow?" Morgana begged.

I smiled at her. "Of course I will, Morgana. I've spent over a week locked up with only Arthur and Merlin to speak to. I need someone intelligent to have a conversation with." That earned me a laugh from Morgana and a glare from Arthur.

"Goodnight, Isabella."

"Goodnight, Morgana. I hope you sleep well." The look on her face told me that she had been having more nightmares. I would have to talk to her about them in the morning.

I turned to the man who I had been pretty much living with for the past week. "Thank you, Arthur. For everything."

He smiled at me. "I'm right next door if you need me. And there will be guards patrolling the corridor all night." He assured me. I was still a little nervous about my uncle finding out I was in Camelot and that he would come and do what he intended to do.

"I know. Thank you." I don't know why I did it, but I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. Arthur wrapped his arms around me and hugged me back. And for the briefest moment, I felt safer than I ever had in my whole life.

I suddenly felt like this was where I was meant to be, that I was where I belonged. With everything that had been happening, I had forgotten all about my past life, my life in the future. The place where I was born, where I had grown up, I had forgotten that Camelot was a legend in my time. Everything just seemed to be so right in Camelot.

We slowly pulled apart from our embrace and I couldn't help but gaze into the prince's blue eyes. It seemed that he was gazing into mine as well. I felt my heart racing, as we just seemed to stare at each other.

The next thing I knew, his lips crashed against mine. He took me by surprise but after only a second I gave into him and let him push me against the wall. My arms ended up back around his neck and one of his hands slowly made its way through my hair. Everything I was worried about just seemed to melt away. None of it mattered anymore.

After what seemed like hours, but was only mere minutes, we broke apart, both trying to catch our breath. Arthur's face turned slightly red, and I could feel my own cheeks burning.

"I… um… I was…" The prince stuttered.

"Oh, yeah. Umm…" I didn't manage to make a very coherent sentence either. "Goodnight, Arthur." I said, reaching up and giving him a peck on the lips.

"Goodnight, Isabella." He said, as I darted into my room.

I leaned against the closed door and let a smile take over my face. I had just kissed the Once and Future King, and it felt so right. Little did I know, that on the other side of the door, Arthur was doing exactly the same thing.

I made my way over to my bed and just threw myself on it, not letting the smile fade.

"_So, how did it go?"_ Merlin asked me. I wasn't used to having him talk to me like that. We hardly ever did, unless it was an emergency or an accident.

"_It was perfect."_ I told him, still thinking about the kiss.

"_Oh my God! You and Arthur kissed!"_ He cried in my head.

"_What? No we didn't. Why on Earth would you say such a thing?"_ I cried to him. How could he have known that?

"_Oh my God, you did. I saw it. You need to be more careful with what you think about. Ugh, that was disgusting. I'm never going to be able to get that image out of my head now."_ The warlock teased.

"_Oh, shut up, Merlin. It was only a kiss."_

"_No it wasn't. Otherwise you wouldn't still be thinking about it. Oh, please stop. I don't want to see any more."_ He cried, acting disgusted and embarrassed.

"_If you don't like it, then get out of my head."_ I told him.

"_Don't worry, I will. Night, Isabella."_

I let out a sigh. _"Goodnight, Merlin. And I'm sure I don't have to tell you…"_

"_Not to tell anyone about the kiss. Yep, got it."_ And with that, he was gone and I was left alone to my thoughts again.

How could I have been so stupid? Kissing him, I shouldn't have done that, I should not have allowed that to happen. It was wrong, Gwen was meant to be with Arthur, not me. I felt like my head was going to explode from all the different outcomes of that stupid kiss running through my head.

_There's only one thing I can do_. I thought to myself. _Time to pay that lizard a visit._ And with that, I threw something quickly over the top of my nightdress. I had my excuse for being out of my chamber already in my head. I couldn't sleep and wanted to see Morgana. I knew no one would stop me from going to see her.

I stepped out of my room and noticed the two guards at either end of the corridor. I walked towards the ones standing in my way towards my friend's chamber. I could see the look of worry in their eyes as I approached them. "I know you are here to protect me, and for that I am grateful. I am informing you that I am off to visit Lady Morgana. I cannot sleep and need to speak with her."

The guards just nodded and let me be on my way. That really was too easy, I just hoped the rest of the time it would be just as easy. I made it to where the tunnel was that led to the dragon. I surprised myself by actually remembering the way. The only problem was the guards that were there.

Merlin had distracted them with his magic. But how could I distract them? _Ugh, why can't they be drunk and pass out already?_ I wondered, starting to get a little stressed that I had no way of getting past them. It was not going to be a wasted journey, I was going to see that blasted fire breathing reptile.

I looked down at the guards and something strange seemed to be happening to them. They were… falling asleep. One of their tin flagons clanged when it hit the floor after falling out of its owner's hand.

I took that as my chance and made a run for it. I grabbed a torch and moved and quickly as I could down the stone tunnel to where the dragon was held captive.

I looked around the cavern and saw nothing. "Oi, you over grown lizard. I want a word with you!" I shouted, letting a little of my cockney accent slip through.

He flew down from somewhere high above, chuckling way. "You certainly have a way with words, young princess." He told me as he settled on his rock.

"Yeah, whatever. I'm not here to make jokes, I'm here to talk. I want to know what the hell my destiny is, because I haven't found it and I'm getting really fed up of trying to work it out now." I told him, letting my anger flare a little.

"I thought you didn't want to know about destinies or prophecies, young one?" He reminded me of my own words when I had first met him.

"Okay, legend then, whatever. Why the hell am I here? Why can't I just go back home?" I growled at him. Yes, my anger was definitely going to get the better of me here.

"You are already starting to find your place. There is no need for you to worry."

"Don't tell me not to worry. Since I've been here I've been attacked by bandits and my uncle is currently out to kill me. I spent a week hiding in Arthur's chamber and that almost drove me insane. So don't you dare tell me not to worry!" I shouted at him. I noticed the torch in my hand flared up quite a bit and that rocks were falling from above.

"You need to control your emotions, Isabella." Kilgharrah told me very seriously. "If you don't, it could mean the end of Albion."

"I don't understand, can you please just tell me what I am meant to be doing here?" I begged him, hoping that for once he would just give me a straight answer.

"You have not yet realised your gift. But it is controlled by your emotions. You will do great things for Albion and Arthur."

"But I don't want to do great things, I want to go back home." I pleaded with him. My anger was fading and was starting to be replaced with despair.

"You are home, Isabella. This is where you are meant to be. Do you really want to go back to that life you once had? With no friends, no one to talk to, no one to love you? Is that really where you want to be?" He asked me, watching me very closely.

"No." I whispered to him. "But I still don't belong here. By being here I could change the legend, I could alter what is meant to happen, and I don't want to. I don't want to get in the way of what is meant to be."

"Ah, but you won't be, young princess. There are many things from your legend that are wrong, lost and retold over time. Let destiny take its course, and you will find happiness." I could tell he was being sincere, and he was trying to help me, but I still felt he was being rather cryptic as well.

"Kilgharrah, I'm already starting to have… feelings… for someone I know I shouldn't. And I'm scared."

I could have sworn I saw a smirk on the over grown lizards face. "Yes, the young prince, I believe. Does he return these feelings?"

"I… I don't know. I haven't exactly told him, so I haven't asked him. I'm confused, because he isn't meant to be with me, he is meant to be with someone else. I am not the Once and Future Queen, someone else is." I wasn't really getting many answers from the dragon, maybe this had been a complete waste of time.

"As I have said, the legend you know is wrong. Now, I suggest you go and rest, young princess. Your destiny has only just begun." He said, bowing his head to me before flying off.

With a heavy sigh I walked back through the tunnel and was pleasantly surprised to see the guards still completely passed out. They were going to get into so much trouble if they were caught sleeping on the job.

I made my way back through the castle and decided that I actually was going to stop in on Morgana. I didn't care how late it was, and I knew she wouldn't care either. I past a few guards on the way and nodded at them, I knew they would now be keeping track of where I went, none of them knew I had been to the dragon first.

I gently knocked on the door, but received no reply. I carefully opened the door, it creaked a little as I did. The room was in darkness, and I assumed Morgana must have been asleep, but that wasn't going to stop me for visiting her. I closed the door and went and sat in one of the chairs by the window. Morgana's window overlooked the courtyard, and it was still strange for me to see it so empty.

I can't have been sitting there for long when I heard Morgana whispering. I looked over and noticed she seemed a little restless. That was all I needed to get up and go check on her, I knew she must have been having one of her nightmares.

There were beads of sweat forming on her brow. "Isabella…" She whispered in her sleep, causing me to frown a little. Why was she calling my name in her dream? "No, not Isabella… please… Isabella…"

I couldn't bear to see my friend so upset any more. "Hey, Morgana, wake up." I said, brushing her fallen dark locks away from her face. "Morgana, it's just a bad dream." I said, watching her struggling to fight her way out of the nightmare.

"Please, not Isabella." She cried. "No!" Her eyes flew open and she bolted upright.

"Hey, shush, calm down, Morgana. It was a dream, it was only a dream." I said, grabbing hold of her and gently stroking her hair. She fell into my arms and began to sob. "Hey, come on, I'm okay, you're okay, everything is okay, Morgana. I promise you." I said trying to comfort her as best I could.

"I had another nightmare." She whispered between her sobs.

"I know, I heard. It was just a nightmare." I told her. I didn't like to see her so upset. I know in the legends she is meant to be a bad person, but I had not seen her yet. All I could see was a scared young woman who needed a friend and support.

After a few minutes, Morgana finally calmed down enough to pull away from me. "Feeling better now?" I asked her, watching her wipe her eyes.

She nodded at me. "What were you doing here anyway?" She asked me curiously.

"Well, for some reason, there wasn't a pig in my room, so I was finding it difficult to get to sleep. I thought I would come and see if you were still awake. When I arrived, I noticed you were a little restless, so I stayed for a while to keep watch on you." I told her. It wasn't a complete lie, but it wasn't the whole truth either.

She looked at me with even more curiosity. "A pig?"

I let a little laugh slip out. "Morgana, I spent a week sleeping in the same room as Arthur, and he sounds like a pig when he is asleep."

Morgana burst out laughing at that piece of information. "Really? A pig?"

I nodded at her. "Yes, every night I thought there was a pig in the room. I'm not used to it being so quiet. I found it a little unsettling." I admitted. It was actually true, I was back in my own chamber, on my own, with someone out there who wants to kill me. I had every right to be slightly afraid.

My fear must have shown on my face as Morgana reached over and hugged me. "I'm glad you're here, Isabella. I really did miss you." She whispered to me.

"I missed you as well, Morgana." I said hugging her back. "Will you tell me about this dream of yours?" I asked her softly. I knew it was difficult for her to talk about them, considering she always thought her dreams were real and some of them did actually come to pass.

"I… I don't want to. It was horrible." A few tears rolled down her cheek.

"Morgana, I promise you, everything will be just fine, okay?" The woman nodded at me. "Come on, why don't you try to get back to sleep now? We have a lot of catching up to do in the morning, you need to get some sleep." I told her, getting up from her bed and making my way to the door.

"Isabella?" I stopped and looked over at my friend. "Thank you. I feel like you are the only person I can trust and really talk to."

"We're friends, Morgana, it's what friends do. Now sleep, otherwise I will find a way to knock you out myself." I said, giving her a huge smile. She laughed a little at me before settling back down in her bed.

I quietly slipped out and tried to make as little sound as possible when I closed the door. When I turned around I came face to face with a rather disgruntled prince. "Oh, um, Arthur. What are you doing here?" I asked him nervously.

"I could ask you the same thing." He said, his arms folded across his chest as he watched me.

"I was checking on Morgana. And it was a good job I did as well, she's been having more nightmares. I was reassuring her that everything was fine." None of that was a lie. That was all completely and utterly true. "I did tell the guards where I was going." I pointed out.

"I don't want you walking around the castle on your own." Arthur told me.

"You want me to be chaperoned everywhere?' I asked him, one eyebrow raised.

He nodded at me. "If needs be, yes. Isabella, with your uncle still out there, your life is still in danger. I promised to protect you and I will do that. No matter what it takes." He reminded me.

"Yes, but Arthur, I am not a child. First you have me and Morgana locked away in the castle, then I'm locked in your chamber, and now I'm not even allowed to walk around the castle without someone with me." I moaned. I was starting to feel like I was a little child who couldn't be trusted.

"Isabella, it's for your own safety. Until that man is caught, we can't risk it, I won't risk anything happening to you." He told me firmly. There was something in the way he said it that made me think there was a little more to it than what he was really saying.

I groaned in frustration. "Fine. But expect me to make your life a living hell." I warned him.

Arthur just smiled at me. "I would expect nothing less. Now, come on. I shall escort you back to your chamber, and I expect you to stay there till morning."

"Why don't you just lock me in the bloody dungeon?" I asked him as we started walking.

"That's not actually a bad idea. They are always guarded, and I know you would be safe down there." I put my hand to my face and pinched the bridge of my nose, I had just given him even more ideas. "Don't worry, I wouldn't really do it. Not without a good reason."

"Oh, shut up, Arthur." I said, nudging him with my hip. "So, am I really going to have to be escorted everywhere I go?" I asked him seriously.

"Yes. If Merlin or myself are busy, have a guard accompany you. And I want to be informed of where you are going, before you go anywhere. Is that understood?" He asked me.

"Perfectly, I mean, it's not like I really have a choice in the matter." I was annoyed, of course I was, but I was also a little relieved. If I were never alone, my uncle would struggle to find a chance to get at me.

"Isabella, I'm not doing this to hurt you, I'm doing this to keep you safe. You understand that don't you?" The prince asked me, as he took hold of my hand and made me stop walking.

I let out sigh. "Of course I understand, Arthur. And I truly am grateful. I'm just a little annoyed that I won't really be able to leave the castle much."

"Say's who?" He wondered, looking at me carefully.

"It's pretty obvious. It's not exactly going to be safe for me to leave the castle. And it's okay, I won't even try to get out or cause a fuss to leave." I assured him.

"And here I was thinking that I was going to have to fight with you and get my father to forbid you from going outside again." He told me with a smirk on his face.

"Arthur, I'm too tired to argue. And I wouldn't win anyway, so what's the point?" I said, letting my gaze fall to the floor. It had been a long time since I had done that, but now, with everything that was going on, I wanted to just close off and disappear.

I felt Arthur slip his hand into mine, causing me to look up at him. "Come on, time you went back to your chamber and slept." He told me quietly, tugging at my arm a little to get my walking along side him.

Once we reached my chamber, Arthur opened the door for me to step inside. "I will see you in the morning." He said. "And remember what I said."

I nodded at him. "Yes, Arthur. No going anywhere on my own, and to let you know before I go anywhere." He gave me a brief smile and closed the door as he left me alone. I pulled off the dress I had put on over my nightdress and clambered into my bed.

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**A/N: Hey guys, sorry for the long wait. Back to uni this week, and a few birthdays going on as well. **

**I'm going to keep this nice and short. I hope you all liked the chapter, I got a few things coming up pretty soon. Possibly a few more kisses. So yeah, be kind, and review, because your all just awesome. **

**Pippa.**


	9. Brothers and Sisters

**A/N: Hey guys. Sorry for how longs it's been, I'm currently in hospital and updating is hard, just like typing anything up. **

* * *

I woke up early the next morning to find Merlin already setting breakfast down for me. "Morning, Merlin." I said a little sleepy still.

"Good morning, Isabella. First night back in your own room, did you sleep alright?" He asked me as I disappeared behind the changing screen.

"Not really. For some reason I missed hearing the pig." I told him, not really thinking about what I was saying.

"You missed Arthur?" He wondered.

I reappeared, fully dressed and ready to start the day. "No, I missed the pig. Not the prince." I told him, a little smirk on my face. I was going to get out of it, somehow.

Merlin just shook his head at me, when I swear I saw a light bulb come on inside his head. "So, have you finally stopped thinking about that kiss?" He asked me, making it his turn to smirk.

I looked up and glared at him. "Merlin, shut up." I said, before going back to eating my apple.

"I take that as a no then." He said, before I threw my apple at his head. It only just missed him. "Your aim is just as bad as Arthur's." I picked up another apple and threw it at him, this time hitting him right on the head. He cried in pain, rubbing the sore spot on his head.

Yes, I was rather proud of myself for actually hitting him. I knew Arthur was always throwing things at him, but Merlin usually managed to duck out of the way just in time. With my second attempt, he failed to avoid it.

There was a knock on my door and Merlin went to answer it, still rubbing his head. The grin on my face faded when I saw that it was Arthur. Last night I had been too tired to fight with him, or even mention anything about the kiss. I was more concerned about Morgana to worry about anything like that.

"Merlin, what are you moaning about?" Arthur asked him, noticing him wincing and mumbling under his breath.

"She threw things at my head." Merlin told him, not daring to look at me.

Arthur looked at me with a raise eyebrow, as if asking me why I had done such a thing to his servant. "He was annoying me and wouldn't shut up. I thought he'd be used to having things thrown at him by now."

"Is what Isabella saying true?" He asked the warlock. He couldn't answer, because he knew it was. He had been teasing me, so he really should have expected me to do something like that. "Well then, if you're quite done trying to damage my servant, I have come to escort you to Morgana."

I grabbed another apple and Merlin automatically flinched, thinking I was going to throw it at him like I had the other two. When I crunched into it, he relaxed. "Come on then." I said, after swallowing the apple in my mouth. "I need to have a serious conversation with my lovely Morgana." I knew I really did need to talk to her about those nightmares of hers. As I saw last night, they were getting worse.

"How did you sleep last night?" Arthur asked me as we walked along the stone corridor. There seemed to be a little bit of tension in the air for some reason.

"Fine, I guess." I mumbled.

After that we fell into an uncomfortable silence. Now that I had rested, and spoken to Kilgharrah, my mind was in turmoil over that kiss. I know I should never have let it happen, but I couldn't stop myself from giving in to him. Everything just seemed to be such a mess, and I didn't know who I could talk to about it.

"Umm… Isabella?" Arthur said, just before we reached Morgana's chamber.

"Yes, Arthur?" I asked, turning to look at him. That was a big mistake, I just made me think about the stupid kiss even more and how much I enjoyed it.

"About what happened last night…"

"What happened last night? Apart from telling me I'm to be kept locked in the castle and escorted everywhere." I said, hoping that he wasn't planning on talking about that other thing that happened.

He let out a sigh. "It doesn't matter. I expect you to only leave Morgana's chamber if you are being accompanied by a guard or a knight." He informed me.

'Yes, sire." I said, knocking on Morgana's door.

The woman who I came to see pulled the door open. "Isabella, you came." She seemed a little surprised. "And you brought Arthur with you." The confusion was filling her face now.

"Don't worry, he isn't staying." I told her, pushing her back into her room. "We need to talk." My voice was firm and serious. "See you later, Arthur." I said, before closing the door behind me with my foot.

Morgana just looked at me, more confused than ever now. "What was that all about?" She asked.

"What was what?" I said, pretending not to know what she was talking about as we sat down by the window.

"Arthur bringing you here, the way you just sent him away. Us needing to talk? Isabella, what's going on?" There was fear and panic in her voice.

I let out a sigh and turned to face her. "First, I am not allowed to go anywhere without an escort, and Arthur knowing exactly where I am. Second, it's Arthur. And finally, those nightmares of yours." Instantly the woman tensed up. "Morgana, talk to me, please." I begged her softly.

"I… I can't, Isabella. It was terrible." She whispered, the tears already starting to fill her eyes.

"Morgana, you know you can trust me. I see you as my sister. I've never had one of those, I was brought up with two brothers and you've had to put up with Arthur. Please, tell me about them." I was being as gentle and forceful as I could, I didn't want to scare her.

"When you were missing, I just kept seeing your body, covered in blood." She choked, the first waves of tears falling. "And last night, it was worse than before."

"Morgana, it's okay." I assured her, trying to get her to tell me the rest.

"Arthur came into Camelot… and he was… he… he was holding your body." She said, before completely breaking down.

"Oh, Morgana." I said, wrapping my arms around her. "Everything will be fine. Look at me, I'm alive, aren't I? And Arthur is making sure that nothing will happen to me. He's keeping me locked up, again." I told her, trying to help ease her worries.

"But what if it really does happen, Isabella? I can't bear to lose you. You're right, we're like sisters." She told me, before letting more tears fall.

"Morgana, I promise you, I will do everything I can to stay safe. Please, don't worry about me. I'm not going to leave you, I swear. And you should know by now, that when I promise something, I never, ever, break that promise." My words seemed to make her relax a little and she wiped her eyes.

"I'm sorry, Isabella." She mumbled, trying to pull herself back together.

"There is nothing for you to be sorry about. I'm sorry for putting you through all this and worrying so much." There was a hint of a smile on her face. "Now, let's see who we can make fun out of today, shall we?" I asked, getting her to turn her attention to the window.

We sat there for a few hours, and Morgana had finally calmed down. I was worried about what she had seen in her dreams, but I knew I needed to let it go. I had too many other things to be worrying about.

"Who's that?" Morgana asked, as a mix of red and green cloaks entered the courtyard.

I followed her gaze and my eyes fell upon a group consisting of Camelot knights and some other kingdom. But that green looked familiar, and the crest on the cloaks. "No, it can't be." I mumbled, leaning out of the window to get a better look.

A man in green looked up at me, I knew his face, and clearly he knew mine as I saw the look of relief wash over him. "Oh my God, it is." I cried, before rushing out of the room.

"Isabella? Wait!" Morgana called after me, but I didn't stop I just carried on running.

I pulled up the bottom of my dress, allowing me to move quicker. As I raced around the corner I almost ran straight into Arthur. "Out of my way, clotpole." I said to him, pushing him away from me and running even faster.

Arthur was right behind me, calling my name. I could tell from his tone that he was worried that something had happened, that something was wrong.

My legs were starting to burn and my chest was hurting like hell, but I wasn't going to stop until I was there. I almost threw myself down the steps when I reached the courtyard, but I finally stopped running when I reached the bottom.

The man who had been looking at me had dismounted his horse and was currently making a fuss of it. He hadn't seen me yet. "Mitch…" I whispered, causing the man to turn and face me. "Oh my God, Mitch." I cried, before throwing myself at him.

He caught me in his arms and I broke down in tears. He was exactly the same as I remembered him from my dreams, and so much older than the last time I had seen him back in my time. My legs gave way and he held onto me tightly and I dragged him down with me slightly.

"I never thought I'd see you again." I whispered between my sobs.

"We promised we would find you, Bell. Everything is going to be fine, I'm here now. It alright." He assured me, stroking my hair gently. I still couldn't believe that one of my older brothers was actually there, and alive.

"Where's Dom? Is he okay? Please tell me he's okay." I pleaded, looking deep into his eyes.

"Calm down, Bell, he's fine. Someone needed to stay behind and look after the kingdom. I had to beat him in a sword fight before he would let me go." He told me, making me laugh a little. "Come on, let's get up." He said, standing up and pulling me with him.

"I was so scared, so much has happened, Mitch." I whispered to him.

"I know, it's okay. We will talk about everything later. I'm just glad that you're safe. We… we were worried that Donald had gotten to you." I froze at the mention of his name.

"He almost did." I told him, my voice still extremely quiet.

I held onto my brother tightly as we moved forwards towards the steps. Standing at the bottom was Prince Arthur, a strange expression on his face. At the top were Morgana and Uther.

"Isabella, don't ever do that again." Arthur told me, frowning. "You had me worried. I thought something had happened." I could see that he was indeed worried.

"I'm sorry, Arthur. And I'm sorry for what I called you as well." I said, hanging my head in shame.

"Aren't you going to introduce us, Bell?" Mitch asked me, giving me a little nudge.

I obediently nodded and stepped away a little. "Prince Arthur, I would like you to meet my brother, Mitchel Lagoon of Elbear. Mitch, this is Prince Arthur of Camelot."

"Thank you for looking after my sister, Prince Arthur." Mitch said, clasping onto Arthur's wrist in greeting.

"It has been a pleasure. Thing's have definitely been more interesting with Princess Isabella around." He told him, a smile on his face. I couldn't help but smile back at him. "This is my father, King Uther." Arthur said, as the king descended the steps.

"It is a great honour to meet you, sire." Mitch said, bowing to the man. "I am King Mitchel of Elbear. And I thank you for the kindness you have shown to my sister." It was strange hearing him speak so formally.

"It has been a great pleasure to have her here. She seems to have made an impact on both my son and my ward." That was when Morgana looked over at me with a smile on her face. "The Lady Morgana, who see's Princess Isabella as a sister to her."

"Sire, it is an honour to meet you." Morgana said, curtseying to him.

Mitch reached out for her hand and kissed the back of it. "The honour is mine, My Lady." He replied, a slightly flirtatious smile on his face.

"Let us go inside. There is much we need to discuss. I shall have rooms prepared for you and your men." Uther said, signalling for us to head back into the castle.

We followed him in. I was still clutching onto Mitch, not wanting to let go from fear he would just disappear from my life again. Walking beside me was Arthur, giving me concerned glances every now and again. Morgana was on the other side of my brother, smiling away constantly.

He led us to the hall where we usually dined, clearly we all needed to sit down and talk about what had happened. Uther, Arthur and Morgana sat in their usual places, and I took mine next to Arthur. As I wouldn't let go of Mitchel, he had to sit next to me on my other side.

"I am sure we are all glad that the envoy from Camelot made it to Elbear safely. And that your journey here was a pleasant one." Uther said, after ordering some servants to bring in some drink for us all.

"The journey was a long one, but one I would do several times over." Mitch said, giving my hand a squeeze.

"I admit, I did not expect the King to leave his kingdom to come here." Uther said, one eyebrow raised. I had to admit, I was curious as to what was going on as well.

Mitchel just smiled. "I shall admit, it is unusual, but since our kingdom is ruled by both my brother and I, it was only a question of who was to come for her." So, both of them shared the ruling of the kingdom? Wasn't that a little, unheard of?

"You share the kingdom?" The king asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Indeed we do, sire. Since our parents…" He paused to take a deep breath. "Were lost to us, we took it upon ourselves to rule together. It has worked out very well. My brother is better at handling the military side, while I am more suited to the political side."

"You draw your strength from each other's weaknesses?" Uther wondered.

"We do. The people are pleased with our ruling. I am pleased to say that everything is now at peace in our kingdom."

"But the threat still looms?" Arthur pointed out.

Mitchel nodded. "It does. As long as Donald lives, our kingdom is at constant threat. That is why my brother, Dominic, stayed behind. If the kingdom is attacked in my absence, he is far better to lead an army than myself."

"There are many matters that we must discuss, King Mitchel." Uther announced. I knew what he wanted to talk about, our uncle, and what he had done. "While I understand you wish to catch up with your sister, I believe these matters must come first."

The rest of us instantly knew what was coming next. "If you will excuse me, I must return to my chamber. I have much to be doing today." Morgana said, rising from her chair and leaving the room.

"Arthur, why don't you take Princess Isabella for a walk around the grounds? I am sure she would be grateful for the fresh air after being stuck in the castle for over a week." Uther suggested.

Arthur just nodded at him and stood from his chair. I, however, was a little more reluctant to go anywhere. I wanted to stay with my brother.

"Bell, it's okay. We just need to talk about some things, okay? I'm not going to leave without you, I promise." I slowly nodded at him and let Arthur take my hand.

Once we were outside the room, I stopped and turned to face Arthur. "I'm sorry for calling you a clotpole and running like that. I didn't mean to worry you, it's just…"

He put up a hand to stop me from saying anything else. "Isabella, it's okay. You don't have to apologise. I fully understand why you were charging through the castle like you were. But I shall be having words with Merlin." I looked at him, questioning why he would speak with him. "He has been teaching you new names to call me." He clarified.

With that I let out a little laugh. It was true, Merlin often called him a clotpole, or dollophead, and more often than not, a prat. "At least now you can stop worrying so much. Everyone has made it here safely. Both your brothers are alive and your kingdom has survived."

I nodded at him, all of what he had said was true, but there was something he had missed. "But our uncle is still out there. As long as he lives, I can't stop worrying. Things may be fine for now, but how long will that last? A week? A month? A year? I am constantly going to be worrying until he is found." I had been scared of my uncle in the future, but not as scared of him as I was now.

"I've already told you, I will protect you." The prince assured me.

"You can't protect me when I'm back in Elbear." I whispered. I knew he hadn't thought about that. He was determined to protect me for as long as I was in Camelot, it was his duty. But when I leave, I am no longer his responsibility.

"Right now you are in Camelot. Right now, I can and will protect you." He told me, very firmly.

And with that I gave in and let him drag me outside and into the chilly winter air. As we walked around, we noticed some of the knights from Elbear sparring with Camelot knights. It would seem that the knights sent to Elbear had became rather good friends with the other knights.

"You seem to have some rather good knights in your kingdom." Arthur told me as we carried on watching them.

"And I still haven't had the chance to spar with you or your knights. You haven't been able to find out just how good I am." I was starting to think that he never would. Now that my brother was here, my time in Camelot was running out.

"Well, we had best arrange for that to happen soon then, hadn't we?" Clearly Arthur had been thinking the same thing.

"Yeah, maybe my brother can give you a few pointers." I told him playfully, giving him a little nudge. The whole time, we had been holding hands and I hadn't even realised it.

"That would require me coming to Elbear, since the warrior brother of your is still there." There was a sly grin on his face. Was he suggesting come to Elbear at some point to visit?

"I guess it would. Do you think your father would let you travel that far? You'd be away from Camelot for such a long time." I remembered how long he said it would take to get to my kingdom, a week. Then it would be a week back afterwards. Would his father really allow him to be gone for so long?

"I'm sure I can find a way to persuade him."

"I'm never going to see you again when I leave." I blurted out, not even thinking about it.

"Of course you will. I have already said I will come and visit you." He assured me, not really fully understanding how I was feeling. "And you are welcome to come back to Camelot whenever you like."

"I don't think my brothers are going to let me go anywhere once I return. Not with our uncle still on the loose." I reminded him. He was the same way, keeping me locked up to keep me protected.

"Then we have to take care of him. It's as simple as that, Isabella." Obviously he could see that I was not convinced. "Come with me." He said, forcing me to go wherever he was walking.

We walked around to the other side of the castle, where no one was around. "Isabella, I know that you're scared, I can see it in your eyes. But I will never let anything happen to you. I don't care, I will do whatever it takes." He told me, gazing into my eyes, begging me to believe in him.

"Arthur, why do you even care so much?" I asked him quietly.

"I can't explain it. There is just something about you, you're just so different, Isabella. The way you treat me, the way you treat others. I mean, you found being attacked by bandits fun." He told me. "I've never met anyone like you before, and I don't want to."

"Like I told you before, I'm one of a kind, Arthur." I said, wondering where all this was leading.

"I know. Isabella, I need to ask you something." His face was completely serious, and it scared me a little.

"Okay."

"Last night, I kissed you." The moment he said that, I felt my heart racing. "I want to know, do you hate me for it?"

Well, that was the last thing I expect him to ask about it. "No, of course I don't hate you because of it. How could you even think such a thing?" I asked him, trying not to be hurt by his words.

"It's just, ever since you have been more distant. I'm sorry, I never should have done it in the first place." He said, hanging his head.

"Arthur, I… I could never hate you. Especially not because of something like that. I don't even know why you would think that."

"Good, because I had been wanting to do that for a long time." He told me, letting a smile form on his face.

"You… you have?" I asked him in shock. "Since when?"

He pulled me closer towards him. "Since the bandits." He whispered into my ear. I had felt the same way at the time. And then I had scolded myself for even thinking like that, yet now I was accepting it. But it was wrong, he was meant to be with Gwen. But then again, I was going to be leaving soon, so what harm was there in making the most of the time we did have?

"Arthur, I shall be returning to Elbear soon, and the chances of us seeing each other again are slim to none." I reminded him sadly.

"But you're here now." He said, before pulling me right up against him and reaching down. His lips touched mine for the second time and there wasn't a second of hesitation from me this time. I threw my arms around his neck and one of my hands ended up entangled in his hair, just as one of his was in mine.

Everything I had been worrying about just melted away, the same way it had when he kissed me the night before. The moment was perfect, and I just didn't want it to end, only we both knew it had to.

Eventually, Arthur pulled away a little. "You okay?" He asked, gazing into my eyes.

I nodded at him and gazed straight back. "Yeah, you?"

"Never better." He told me, putting one of his hands to my cheeks. They were already flushed and burning, and his touch was cool against my skin. I felt a little shiver go down my spine. "Are you cold?"

"No, I think you warmed me up." Sure, it sounded really cheesy, but it actually was the truth.

There was a gorgeous and sly grin on the prince's face. "No, you're still cold. I better warm you up some more."

Our lips were locked again, and the world around us just seemed to stop. Every time he kissed me, the world just seemed perfect.

"Arthur! Arthur, you're fa…" Merlin's voice instantly stopped when he turned the corner and spotted us.

"_Merlin, I am so going to kill you if this isn't a life threatening situation."_ I warned him in his mind.

Arthur let out a very loud groan as he pulled his head away from mine, but he didn't let me go. "What is it, Merlin?" He bellowed, clearly just as unhappy as I was about the interruption.

"Sorry, sire, you're father and King Mitchel wish to speak with you. I am to escort Princess Isabella back to her chamber." The warlock said, looking very sheepish.

Arthur let out a sigh before looking down at me. "I will come see you as soon as we are done, I promise." He said, before kissing my head and running off to his father.

Merlin and I both stood there in silence. He was feeling just as awkward as I was really. "We should probably head inside now." I finally said, walking past the warlock and towards the castle.

We made it to my chamber in silence. "I think you better come in, Merlin. We need to have a little chat." I said, holding the door open for him. He seemed a little nervous at first, but finally walked into the room.

I sat myself down on the edge of my bed and gazed at the floor. "You can't tell anyone about what you saw, Merlin. Ever. I'm going to be leaving soon, and I'm never going to see you or Arthur ever again." I told him, trying to sort everything that I wanted to say to him out in my head. "It never would have worked anyway, he is destined to be with someone else. He deserves better."

"I can understand you not wanting me to speak of any of this. But what is all this about there being someone else? And if anyone deserves better it's you."

I let out a sigh. "When I first came to Camelot, I told you I knew about the prophecies, that I knew more than I should. It is from these prophecies that I know who Arthur is destined to be with. I am not that person." I hoped he understood what I was trying to tell him.

"But what about your destiny?" Merlin pressed, remembering the dragon saying that I had one as well.

"Merlin, neither of us knows what my destiny is. Since I have been here, we have not found out. Maybe my destiny requires me to be somewhere else. Maybe I have already done what I was sent here to do without even realising it. I don't know. All I do know, is that the answer does not lay in Camelot, and that I must leave." It was almost killing me to say everything, but I knew I had to.

"You don't really believe that, do you?" He asked me in shock.

I looked up at my magical friend. "What else is there to believe?" I asked him, letting a tear slip down my cheek.

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**A/N: Again, I'm sorry for the long wait for an update, but thank you all for sticking by the story. **

**I'm halfway through the next chapter for this now as well. I'm hoping to get that finished pretty quickly. **

**Let me know what you guys thinks, because I know you are all awesome.**

**Pippa. **


	10. Knowledge and Understanding

I sat in my chamber, alone and waiting. Merlin had gone to get on with his chores, and I was nervous. I didn't understand anything of what was going on, I was confused and could only hope that my brother could give me some of the answers that I needed.

I took a deep breath when I heard someone knocking on my door. "Who is it?" I called, knowing that I needed to be careful, even if there were two guards posted outside of my room at all times.

"Mitch. You going to let me in?" He asked.

I jumped up from my chair and quickly unlocked the door. Sure enough, my brother was standing there. "You took long enough." I moaned as he closed the door behind himself and locked it again.

"I know, I'm sorry. There was a lot to discuss. Uther told me about everything that happened, and Arthur told me about how he found you." Mitch said, sitting opposite me at the table. "I have a feeling there is a lot you want to know?"

I nodded at him. Of course there was, but I had no idea where to start. "How the hell you can be alive? You died, all of you. Mum, dad, Dominic and you. I should know because I was bloody there. You all died in that stupid car crash." I growled at him, not realising I was letting my emotions get the better of me.

"I know, Bell, it's… hard to explain. We died in that world, yes, but we were reborn here. We were giving a second chance, all of us and that includes you."

I looked at him, not sure if I could believe him. "If I'm here, does that mean that I'm dead? In the future, I mean." I asked him.

He hesitated and bit his lip. "Not exactly. It really is hard to explain, Bell. There was a version you, in this time, but she was just a ghost. She wasn't real, she was just an image of you, holding your place until you arrived. One day, it just vanished, right before our eyes."

"O…kay. That makes no sense what so ever." I told him, giving him a look that told him I thought he was crazy.

"Okay, think of her as a hologram. People could see her, but she wasn't real." He told me, trying to make me understand it better.

"And is that why I have no memories of ever being here? Because I never really have been here?" He nodded at me. "Okay, but what about those dreams I had? I had dreams and in them I saw Donald kill our parents, and you send me away."

He let out a sigh and rubbed his forehead. "That did actually happen, but you weren't really there. Those were implanted into your memory the moment you arrived, to try and help you find your way." Mitch told me.

"I can accept that. But why here? Why Camelot and this time period? That's what I don't understand." And it was true. I remembered King Arthur and Camelot being a myth, a legend. I never thought it could be real, not even for a second.

"Because this is where we are needed. Or, more importantly, where you are needed." There was something in his eyes that made me feel like he was telling me the truth.

"Why me? Why am I so special?" I wondered. No, none of it made any sense to me still.

"The legends of our time are wrong. You have a destiny here, alongside Arthur and Merlin." It was pretty clear from his expression that he understood I didn't believe him one little bit. "You have magic, Isabella. Controlled by your emotions. Have you never noticed?"

I had noticed, but I didn't want to ever believe it. "One time, I got a little angry and annoyed, I mean really annoyed, and the torch I was holding just burned more fiercely and rocks started falling." I told him, failing to mention I was with a dragon at the time.

Mitch just nodded at me. "That's your magic. That is why you have to be even more careful with your emotions."

"It still doesn't explain what I'm meant to be doing here, Mitch. So I have magic, big deal. Merlin is the one who is going to help Arthur become a great king, not me." I pointed out to him.

He let out a sigh. "Arthur needs you as well, Bell. Do you know what part of the legend is the most incorrect?" I shook my head at him, I had no idea it was wrong until Kilgharrah told me. "Who Arthur loves, the Once and Future Queen. It's not Gwen, she is meant to be with Lancelot."

I shook my head at him. "No, no way in hell, Mitch. Don't even think that, that is just so wrong." I told him, not wanting to believe it.

"Isabella, it's the truth. Arthur has already told me how well the pair of you have been getting on. I can see that he likes you already." I just kept shaking my head at him. "And I have heard that the two of you have shared a kiss, or two, in recent days."

"I'm going to bloody kill that big mouthed, no good, untrustworthy, little jackass of a warlock the next time I see him." I growled, not noticing all the candles in the room flare up.

"Bell, calm down." Mitch hissed at me, before his eyes flashed gold and the candles returned to normal. "Control your emotions." He warned me.

"Did… did I do that?" I asked him nervously, looking at the now calm and flickering candles around the room. He simply nodded at me and I placed my head in my hands. "I don't want to be here, Mitch. I want to go home."

"Bell, you are home. This is home now. And even if you wanted to go back, there is no way." He told me, moving from his chair and kneeling beside me. "I know this is all a lot to take in, but it will get easier. Life here isn't so bad, Dominic and I are both alive."

"Yeah, but so is uncle Donald. How can he even be here? I'm pretty sure he was still alive in the future when I left." I asked him, a little confused as to how that can happen.

The look on his face told me that it wasn't good. "He… he lives in both worlds. We don't know how, we don't know why, but he does. And he is more dangerous here than in the future, because here, he has magic and is willing to kill all of us to get the throne."

"Yeah, he's already been here. I was living in Arthur's chamber for a week. A week! My God that man can snore." That made Mitch chuckle a little. "But I guess I did get to know him better during that time. Since he was one of only two people I could actually speak with."

"I know you don't want to admit it, but he does actually care about you. You may have only known him a short time, but he has already started to fall for you. Even his father has pointed it out."

That just sent me back into a confused state. "How could Uther know?"

Mitch just grinned at me. "He hid you in his chamber for a week. And nothing happened between the pair of you. That counts for something. Arthur Pendragon is a ladies man, and yet the only move he has made on you is to kiss you."

I let out a groan. "Will you not bring that up again? It was bad enough when Merlin started to tease me about it. When are we going home?" I asked him seriously. I didn't want to stay in Camelot any longer, I wanted to get as far away from Arthur and Camelot as I could.

"Well… that's the thing. We're going to be here for at least a week. I'm forming an alliance with Uther, Unless Donald has been found by that time, you will be staying here. It has already been arranged."

I looked at him blankly. "I'm sorry, what?"

He let out a sigh, and I knew he was being very serious. "Elbear will not be safe for you. And besides, your destiny is in Camelot, you're needed here, with Arthur."

"So you are all deciding my life for me? Telling me where I can go, who I can be friends with? How are you any different to our uncle?" I spat at him. "I worked my backside off on that farm, and in return I got nothing but some scraps of food and a bed that is older than you are now. I wasn't allowed out, I had no friends. I worked and I slept. That was my life. And now, you're going to do the same thing he did."

"Isabella, you have to understand, this is to keep you safe. You are safer here in Camelot than in Elbear while he is still at large." Mitch insisted. "He believes you have left here, and will most likely think you have made your way home, to us. You're staying here."

"Stop telling me what I'm doing, Mitch. I've lasted long enough without you and Dominic, I can last longer." I shouted at him. My temper flared, and this time, not only did the flames roar higher, but the windows shattered as well.

Mitch let out a sigh, his eyes turning gold once again. "Control, Isabella." Before the glass had even left the frames, the windows were repaired and the flames had returned to normal.

"Get out, Mitch. Just leave me alone." I whispered to him, doing my best not to cry.

"I'll see you at dinner, Bell. Just, calm down, okay? You can't let yourself get worked up like this." He told me, before getting up and leaving my room.

The moment he was gone I dragged myself over to my bed and curled up in the middle of it and let the tears fall. Everything was confusing and complicated. I had never asked for any of this, my life wasn't the greatest back in the future, but I didn't have someone out there who wanted to kill me.

It was a few hours later when there came a knocking at my door. I didn't even bother to move, I didn't want to see anyone else. I was meant to be dining with my brother, Uther and everyone else. Unfortunately, whoever was knocking on my door, had no intention of going away anytime soon.

"Isabella? Will you open this door please?" Arthur called from the other side. I let out a heavy sigh and forced myself off the bed and over to the door. I unlocked it and opened it only a crack.

The Prince was staring at me, and Merlin was standing behind him. "What do you want, Arthur?" I asked him, making sure he understood that I was in no mood to really talk to anyone.

"You're meant to be joining us for dinner." He told me, frowning away.

"Yeah? Well, I'm not going. Thanks for stopping by. Night." I said, going to slam the door in his face. Only he put his foot out to stop it from closing all the way.

"Has something happened?" He asked me, the concern starting to fill his face.

"No." I told him firmly, looking down at my feet.

"You're lying. Isabella, what happened?" I pulled up my gaze and glared at the warlock behind him, making sure he knew I was not happy with him.

"I don't want to talk about it. Shouldn't you be heading for dinner? You're already late." I reminded him.

With a sigh he turned to face Merlin. There was a worried and confused look on his face as he looked at me, clearly not understanding why I was in such a bad mood. "Merlin, inform my father that Isabella and I shall not be joining for dinner. Tell him she is feeling unwell or something." Arthur told him, taking me a little by surprise.

"Yes, sire." He mumbled, before disappearing.

"Now, are you going to let me in and tell me what's wrong now?" He asked me as I continued to stand there.

Reluctantly I moved away from the door and let him come into my chamber. I didn't even bother to turn and look at him and I just crawled back onto my bed and huddled up again.

"Isabella, what's wrong?" He asked, sitting on the other side of the bed and looking at me.

"My brother doesn't want me to go home, he is making me stay in Camelot." I told him, refusing to look at him. "But you already know that, don't you?"

"It wasn't an easy decision to make. We are only thinking of your safety. Until your uncle is found, you're not safe, you know that." He said to me softly. "Is staying in Camelot really that bad?"

"Yes. No. I mean, I don't know." I let out a sigh, my head was hurting now and I just couldn't think straight. "I don't belong here, Arthur."

All he could do was frown at me. "I thought you'd be happy about staying."

"Part of me is, but then there is a part of me that wants to go somewhere else. It's hard to explain." I told him, before burying my head into my pillow.

"Isabella, I know you want to go back to Elbear and be with your brothers. But you have to understand that your uncle will still be out looking for you. And the first place he is going to look is there." I knew he was concerned about my safety, I could hear it in his tone.

"I hate my life." I mumbled to the pillow.

"It's not always going to be like this, Isabella. We will find him and then…" He stopped and took a deep breath. "And then you can leave." Something about the way he said it, made me think that he didn't actually want to say it.

I twisted my head so that I was now looking at him. "Give me one good reason why I should stay."

"Because I want you to. I know it's not much, but I do want you to stay, Isabella." There was so much sincerity in his voice that I couldn't help but smile at him.

"I'll think about it." I told him, trying not to let a smile take over my face.

"Good. Now, how would you like to get out of the castle for a while tomorrow?" He asked, a sly grin on his face now.

I just frowned at him. "Like that is ever going to happen." I grumble. It's not that I didn't want to get outside, I really did. But I knew it wasn't safe, and I knew there was no chance that Arthur, Mitch or even Uther, would let me venture outside.

"I have spoken with my father, and your brother. We have all agreed that you need to spend a little time outside of these walls. It isn't fair having you locked up all the time. So, tomorrow, I have planned for us to take a little ride out." He told me, taking me slightly by surprise.

"And you all think that's a good idea, do you?"

He let out a sigh, knowing that I was thinking that my uncle would just be waiting for us. "You will be with me and several knights. Your brother is going to be busy with my father, talking over the alliance they wish to form."

"Arthur, I know you're just trying to be nice, but I don't think it's a good idea. Getting out for even just an hour would be amazing, but there is every chance he is lurking out there, just waiting." I told him, sitting up properly on my bed.

"Isabella, I won't let anything happen to you. I promise you."

I smiled at him a little. "I know, you keep telling me that. But he could have spies everywhere. There is every chance that someone in Camelot has told him that I am still here."

"Nothing will happen to you, I swear. And if there are spies in Camelot, they will be dealt with." He assured me.

"Never knew you cared so much. I'd watch it, you're going to damage your reputation keep talking like that." I teased.

"I do not have a reputation." He grumbled.

I couldn't help but chuckle a little. "Yes you do. The arrogant Prince swearing to protect the strange Princess, people will start talking." I told him, trying my hardest not to smile.

"I think they already are." He told me. "There seems to be some talking going around the castle that a certain Prince and Princess are forming a close relationship."

My eyes widened as what he had said processed. "Well, clearly they are all completely crazy and need to be locked up."

"I don't know. I think there may be some truth in what they say." Arthur told me. His blue eyes were just gazing at me.

"Oh please, you don't believe that gossip do you?" I scoffed, not willing to believe any of it myself. I remembered what my brother had told me, and I refused to even believe him. I could tell by the look on his face that he was hurt by what I had said. "Arthur?"

"Isabella, you know that I do actually care about you." He said, trying to keep himself together. It was clear for me to see that he was a little nervous, and I could understand why, I was nervous as well.

I frowned at him and folded my arms across my chest as I sat up. "Yeah, well… I care about you as well you arrogant prat of a prince." I mumbled, not exactly happy with myself for admitting that I actually liked him.

Before Arthur had a chance to say anything else there was a light knocking on the door. He went to get up and see who it was, but a put a hand on his arm to stop him. He gave me a quizzical look, wondering why I was stopping him. "Who is it?" I called. Even though Arthur was there, I was still cautious.

"It's Merlin, Princess Isabella." The warlock called back through the door. I let go of Arthur and he strolled over to the door. "I brought you both some food, since you weren't joining the others for dinner." He said, entering the room and placing two plates down on the table.

"Thank you, Merlin." I said, giving him a slight smile. I was still annoyed at him for telling my brother what had been going on while I had been there, mainly about how Arthur and I had kissed.

"Your brother wasn't impressed that you weren't joining everyone for dinner." He whispered to me.

"Yeah? I don't give a damn if he was impressed or not. My life, my choice." I whispered back, before heading over to the table. "And you can tell him I said that as well."

"Thank you, Merlin." Arthur said, sitting down opposite me. For a moment I had actually forgotten that he was there. "I will be taking Princess Isabella out for the day tomorrow. Make sure you have the horses ready."

"Yes, sire. Will there be anything else?" He asked politely.

"No, that's all."

I gave him a brief smile as he left before turning my attention to the food that was in front of me. As always it contained some meat and vegetables, along with some bread. For some reason, I wasn't really feeling that hungry and just started picking at the food in the plate.

"You're not eating much." Arthur pointed out a little while later. I just shrugged my shoulders at him, prepared for the disappointed speech he was about to give me. "You need to start eating better, Isabella. I know things have been stressful but you need to look after yourself."

I nodded at him slightly. "I know. I'm just… not that hungry. You're right, Arthur, I am stressed. Everything that has happened, it's just difficult to deal with it all."

He smiled at me a little. "Well I am always here if you need anything. Anything at all."

I couldn't help but smile back at him. "I know, thank you."

"Are you going to eat anything else? Or are you done?" He asked me, glancing at my plate. I'd poked around at the vegetables, but not much else.

"I'm guessing I'm done. Sorry, I know this is wasting food but I just don't really have any appetite at the moment." I told him, feel a little ashamed that I was wasting so much food when I knew that there were people out there who were hungry.

"There is no need to apologise, Isabella. I just hope that you start to eat more soon. You're going to make yourself ill if you do not take care of yourself." I could see the worry and concern on his face, and I knew that he genuinely did care.

"I'll be fine, Arthur. There really is no need for you to worry so much." I couldn't help but give him a small smile.

I hadn't been in Camelot long, but I was already starting to forget about the rotten life I had led before. I was no longer missing all the technology of the future, such as computers, television, and phones. Without electricity and the pollution from the city lights it was so much more relaxing. I could see the night sky clearly, and it was an amazing sight to see.

"Isabella?" Arthur called, frowning at me.

I blinked several times, realising that I was just staring out of the window. "Yeah?" I said, before remembering who I was speaking to. "I mean, yes, Arthur?"

"You seemed in a world of your own just then. Is everything okay?" He asked me, his blue eyes just gazing at me.

"Yes, I was just thinking."

"About what?" I could see he was a little more than just curious.

I shrugged as I looked at him. "Just… maybe Camelot isn't all bad."

I could see a smile working its way onto his face as he continued to gaze at me. "And what has made you decided to say that?" He wondered.

"Well, I guess their prince isn't as arrogant as I first thought. And the views are rather amazing." I told him, watching him closely. I couldn't explain it, but I felt like I was home, like I was actually meant to be there. I had to quickly shake that feeling, I had a life in the future, that was where I was from, where I belonged. But I didn't know if I would ever make it back there, a part of me didn't want to go, but I knew that eventually I would. Everything has to end, no matter how much someone wishes against it.

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**A/N: Hey guys, I'm sorry for the long wait for an update, some stuff happened and life got in the way. Sorry again. **

**Anyway, thank you to everyone who has reviewed and those who have favourited and followed. You guys are just totally awesome. **

**Now, I want to know when you guys think I should start doing episodes, and IF you want me to start doing the episodes. So let me know, either in a review or PM me, I don't mind. **

**Pippa.**


	11. Flowers and Picnics

**A/N: Sorry if there is a lot of spelling and grammar errors in this chapter. I'm still waiting for my new glasses so my proof reading isn't that great when I can't see properly. Hope you enjoy the chapter.**

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I heard something clang on the floor of my chamber and let out a groan. "Come on, Merlin, do you really have to make so much noise first thing in the morning?" I moaned, rolling over in the bed and shoving my head under the pillow. That was something I hadn't done in a long time, not since before my parents had died.

I heard him chuckle a little and make a little more noise in the room. "Arthur's waiting for you to get up. You're meant to be heading out soon." He told me, making sure to keep the noise going.

"Well he can keep on waiting. I rush for no one." I mumbled into the pillow. For some reason I just didn't want to get out of bed. It was comfy and warm and I had no desire to move my backside any time soon.

"You do remember he is the prince? And your brother will probably help him to get you up and out of bed." My warlock friend reminded me.

"Yeah? Well, let them try." I told him, finally pulling my head out from under the pillow and looking over at him. He was busy cleaning up the mess that Arthur and I had left the night before.

After eating, and talking for a while, Arthur and I decided to have a little duel, with whatever we could get our hands on. I felt like a little kid, pretending that a stick was a sword and that the pillow I was holding was a shield. We had fun, made a mess, which we decided would give Merlin something to do.

"Would you like me to go and tell them that you wish for them to come and try to get you out of bed, Lady Isabella?" He asked, a smirk on his face.

I looked over at him, trying to get rid of that last little haze in my head from waking up. "You can tell Prince Arthur of Camelot that I rush for no one. Not even him, and if the dear prince doesn't like that then tough." I said, before throwing the covers over my head, blocking out the morning light.

"You really should be getting up now, Isabella." Merlin called to me, before leaving the room.

I let out a sigh as I yanked the sheets back down. The sunlight was streaming in through the windows and the sky was rather clear. It looked like it was going to be a nice, sunny day in Camelot, a change from the bitter cold weather that we had been having.

After a few minutes I ended up jumping out of the bed and quickly got dressed. Merlin had left a fresh bowl of fruit on the table and so I quickly started to munch on an apple, even though I wasn't very hungry. I was only eating to keep Arthur happy and to stop him from nagging at me.

I was just about to open the door to my chamber when there came a knocking. "Bell? Are you up yet?" My brother called through the door.

"No. So go away." I called back to him, leaning against the wall beside the door.

I heard him let out a sigh on the other side. "Bell, please open the door." I relented and unlocked it, letting him come in.

"What do you want, Mitch? I'm busy." I told him, folding my arms across my chest. I was still having trouble taking in the fact that my brother was alive and all grown up.

"I wanted to make sure that you were okay. You're going out with Arthur today, and you need to make sure that you are very careful." He told me seriously.

"I know, Mitch. Control."

He shook his head at me and took a hold of both my hands. "No, not just that. You need to be careful out there. I know I agreed to all this, and I trust Arthur to keep you safe, but it will not stop me from worrying until you come back." At the point I could see the genuine worry in his face.

"Mitch, I promise I will be careful, okay? I won't stray from Arthur, I will stick to him like glue if that's what you want." It was surprising how much I was able to trust someone I hadn't seen for years, in a place that I didn't know. Sure he was my brother, but everything was just so different now.

"You know, that would make me feel better. If Arthur comes back and tells me you decided to wander off, there will be big trouble for you." Mitch told me sternly.

"I will be careful. I'm just as nervous about going out there as you are. I still don't think it's a very smart idea and I'd much rather just hang around here." I told him, being honest about how I was feeling, like I had been with Arthur the night before.

"I know, but the fresh air will do you some good. You're looking pale and thin, Bell. I can't let anything happen to you, Dom would never forgive me if something happened to you."

I let out a little chuckle. "I don't think Arthur would either. You know, for an arrogant, pig headed prince, he really isn't so bad. Sometimes." I admitted. Last night I had gotten to know the prince a little better, and I had seen that he really is a good man. Of course he is arrogant, he is a prince and has never had to work very hard for anything in his life. But I was starting to see a little change in him, like the way he was being so caring and protective.

There was a small smile on my brother's face. "Glad to see you're starting to warm up to the prince a little. Now hurry up and get moving. The sooner you go, the sooner you can come back." He told me, wrapping his arms around me and giving me a tight hug.

"Of course, sire. Whatever you say." I said, trying to hold in my giggles. He rolled his eyes at me as we both walked towards the doors.

"And remember, Bell, you need to make sure you control yourself." He whispered to me, putting his hand on the door handle.

I nodded at him. "I know, and I'm sorry for the way I snapped at you yesterday. I was… well, I wasn't exactly in the best of moods, and I was confused. You know, it's not every day I get pulled from the 21st century and end up in Camelot, finding out I'm a princess and that both my brothers are alive."

"It's fine, I understand. I'm just glad to actually see you, alive and well." He told me, before pulling the door open.

We were met with none other than the prince of Camelot. "Morning, Arthur." I called to him, earning a frown and a nudge from Mitch. "Ugh, fine. Good morning, Prince Arthur." I said, curtseying a little.

There was a bemused look on his face before he replied. "Good morning, Princess Isabella, King Mitchel. I trust you slept well last night?"

"I did, sire. Although I would have appreciated not being woken up by your servant making as much noise as possible in my chamber." I said, making sure to frown at him a little.

He chuckled a little before looking at my brother. "Everything is prepared for today, and my finest knights will be joining us. Princess Isabella will be safe." Arthur said, reassuring my brother.

"Of course, I trust you to take good care of her, Prince Arthur. Now if you will excuse me, your father and I have much to discuss. Enjoy your day, and Isabella…" He said, before turning to look at me.

"I know, I know." I moaned. "It will be fine. Now, go away." I gave him a little push, making him move down the corridor and watched as he left Arthur and I alone. "Come on then, lets get this over with." I said to Arthur, slipping my arm through his without really thinking about it.

Arthur turned and looked at me, a gleam in his eyes as he smiled at me. "As you command, my strange princess." I couldn't help but let a small laugh slip past my lips, which just made him smile at me even more.

"So, what's the actual plan then? Or are we just getting on the horses and letting them take us wherever they want?" I asked him as we walked through the castle and towards the courtyard. I admit, we did get a few strange looks from some of the maids, and some whispering happening behind our backs, but I tried my best to ignore it.

"That is a surprise." Arthur told me, smirking away.

I let out a groan. "I hate surprises. Surprises are dangerous, you know that right?"

"I'm sure you're going to enjoy this surprise, Isabella. I assure you, it is nothing dangerous." He told me as we reached the courtyard. I saw four knights, already mounted and ready to go.

But there was something wrong, there was someone missing from the group. "Is Merlin not coming as well? Don't you usually drag him everywhere with you, like he is your little puppy." I asked him curiously.

"He has chores to be doing, so he will not be joining us." He told me, leading me over to a familiar looking horse.

"Hello again." I said, rubbing the white nose of the horse. As with before, he started to nuzzle at me, which just made me smile. "Now, are you going to be a good boy again today?"

"You know, you seem to be the only one he responds to." Arthur told me, standing behind me. "He gets a little nervous around other people. But for some reason, you seem to be able to calm him easily."

"Well, like I said before, he reminds me of a horse I had when I was younger." I said, making a little more fuss of the horse. "And he was a very good boy as well."

"What was his name?" Arthur asked, making me turn to look at him. "Your horse."

"Oh." I said, looking down at the ground a little. "Uh, Nova. I know it's a stupid name but…"

"I never said it was a stupid name." He told me. "I've never really names any of the horses. So, what would you name him?"

I thought about it for a few minutes. I couldn't very well call him Nova, that would seem a little odd. "Nebula."

Arthur just smiled at me. "You really do come out with the strangest things, Isabella." He told me, making my face flush a little.

"Sorry." I mumbled, feeling a little stupid at even suggesting that name.

"Why are you sorry?" He asked, frowning at me. "I find it interesting, it just proves that you're different."

"Oh, I'm different all right." I mumbled.

"So, are you and Nebula ready to leave now?" Arthur asked, clearly seeing that I was feeling a little awkward. He seemed to be getting good at that. I just nodded at him and let him help me to mount the horse that was now named Nebula.

Once he was on his own horse, he addressed his knights. "Remember, the threat still looms, so everyone needs to be on the look out. You all know what the man looks like, so I want you all to be on your guard."

The knights all nodded, knowing that Lord Donald was still out there somewhere, and that I was his main target. Their job was to make sure that nothing happened to me while I was out of the castle, and they also knew that their prince would make their lives a living hell if something did happen.

We had been riding for maybe a few hours. And I had to admit, I really was enjoying being outside, even if it was a little chilly. The sun was still shining, making it a little warmer, and brightening everyone's mood it would seem.

"Isabella?" Arthur called, looking over at me. "Shall we stop for a while? Give the horses and men a rest?" He asked me.

I gave him a smile. "I don't see why not. Nebula has been a very good boy again, haven't you boy." I said, making a fuss of him. He really did seem to like it when I fussed him, and it brought a bigger smile to my face.

"May I assist you, my strange princess?" Arthur asked, holding his hands out and standing beside Nebula.

"You may indeed, my not-so-arrogant prince." I replied, grinning at him as he put his hands on my waist to help me get down.

The rest of the knights set about making themselves comfortable, pulling out the little bits of food that they had brought with them and starting a fire to keep the chill away a little. "I want to show you something." Arthur whispered to me, taking a tight hold of my hand.

"Uh, okay sure." I replied, feeling a little nervous a he led me away from the knights. I had no idea what he was playing at, but I wasn't sure that it was such a good idea to be leaving the rest of the group.

"Now close your eyes." He told me, not giving me much choice as he put his hands over my eyes. He carried on leading me forward, just making me feel even more nervous.

"Arthur, what are you doing? Where are we going?" I asked him, trying not to let him see how worried I really was about what he was up to.

"Just a few more steps." He told me, before we both came to a stop. I was sure I heard something rustling in the bushes, but I may just have been getting a little paranoid. "Okay, you can open your eyes." He told me, removing his hands.

I slowly opened my eyes and looked at where we were. I was completely shocked by what I was seeing. The ground was covered with brightly coloured sheets, with pillows thrown on top. Set out in the middle was a spread of food.

"Arthur…" I whispered, not really knowing what else to say.

He just smiled at me and pulled me over to where what could only be described as a rather royal picnic. "And these are for you." He said, seeming to magically pull a bunch of wild flowers out from behind his back.

"I… I don't know what to say." I said, still surprised at everything he had done. "Thank you so much, Arthur." I managed to whisper, before I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "This is… well, this is…" I just couldn't find the words to compose a sentence, or explain to him how grateful I was.

I felt Arthur move is arms from around me and pull away a little. "You're welcome, Isabella. Now come on, lets sit down and enjoy ourselves."

We both sat down on the sheets, both smiling and both happy. "So, this is what you've had Merlin doing all day then is it?" I asked, taking a sip of the wine that he had managed to convince Merlin to bring for us.

"I did say he was still doing chores. This was a part of his chores." He told me, holding out a plate with grapes on in front of me.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "And that includes picking flowers does it?" I asked him, picking one of them out from the bunch with the green ribbon around it and waving it in his face a little.

"No." He said, plucking it from my hand. "I picked them this morning." Arthur's response made me go wide eyed. I had never really seen him as the flower picking type. "You seem surprised."

"Well, yes I am slightly." I admitted to him. "I never quite imagined Camelot's mightiest warrior to be a flower picker." I said, trying not to laugh. "Did you go frolicking through the fields? Stopping when each pretty little flower caught your eye?" I teased.

The prince frowned at me and tapped my nose with the yellow flower in his hand. "No I did not." He told me. "But I did pick them, just for you." He told me, before tucking the flower into my hair.

I couldn't help but smile at him. "Thank you, they really are lovely, Arthur."

"I'm glad you like them." He replied, a smile on his face. "So, are you enjoying your day out so far?"

"I am. I have to say, I think this has been the best part so far." I told him. "Are there any more surprises waiting for me?"

Arthur actually looked like he was thinking about his answer before responding to me. "Now, if I told you that, it would ruin the surprise, if there is one." He told me, clearly not wanting to give anything away.

"Now, Arthur, although this was a nice surprise, I am still very much against surprises." I told him, picking at the grapes that were on the plate before me.

"Well that really is a shame. But I'm still not going to tell you." I couldn't stop myself from rolling my eyes at him at that point.

"You know, I will find a way to get revenge on you." I told him, taking another sip of wine from the goblet in my hands. "I'm very good at revenge."

He chuckled at me a little. "You really are impossible, you do know that, don't you?" Arthur asked me.

"But of course I know that. I strive to be as impossible as I possibly can." I informed him, letting a grin spread across my face. I really was having a great day out. I was pleased to be out in the fresh air, spending some time in the sun. It made a nice change from looking at the walls of Camelot castle.

We stayed there for a while longer, chatting away and generally having a good time. I couldn't explain why, but I felt so comfortable and at ease just sitting there talking to Arthur. I was still getting over the shock of him actually planning a surprise picnic and going and picking flowers just for me.

"You know, I've actually had a really nice day." I told him, lying back and resting on my elbows. Arthur was beside me, on his side with his head propped up by his hand. "Which was not how I had been expecting today to go."

"So what were you expecting?" The prince asked me curiously.

"Oh, you know, for us to be attacked. Having to fight for our lives. Returning to Camelot with yet another torn dress. The usual." I told him, shrugging my shoulders a little.

He let out a small laugh. "Yes, because you find being attacked by bandits fun."

"Well, I did. But I think I definitely like this better. It really has been such a nice day, Arthur. And I really am grateful, for this and for everything." I was being honest with him. Ever since arriving in Camelot, I had been worrying over everything, feeling completely out of place. But now, after getting to know Arthur better, I felt much more at ease and at home.

He reached out his hand and tucked a stray lock of my hair behind my ear. It had been blowing in my face, and it was even starting to get on my nerves. "I'm glad you're happy, Isabella. It's nice to see you smiling again."

"Yeah, well, maybe I finally have something to smile about." I told him, starting to feel my cheeks burn slightly.

"Really? Maybe I can give you something more to smile about." He said, before leaning closer towards me. He put a hand on my cheek and smiled at me, before his soft lips met mine. I wasted no time I responding to his kiss, and at the moment everything just seemed perfect.

But as with everything, it had to end and when he pulled away I knew my cheeks were burning brightly. The smirk on Arthur's face gave that away as well. "Oh, stop it, Arthur." I said, giving him a little nudge.

"Stop what?" He asked me, trying to act all innocent.

"You know what, Prince Arthur. Wipe that smirk off your face right now." I told him. "Or I will wipe it off for you."

"Is that so? And how are you going to do that, Princess Isabella?" He asked me, watching me closely.

"Do you really want to find out?" I asked him, leaning a little closer to him.

Before he had the chance to say anything, Merlin appeared, clearing his throat to get our attention. The pair of us just glared at him. "Sorry, sire, Princess Isabella. It's time to start heading back to Camelot. You did promise to have the Princess back before nightfall, sire." He told us both. The look on his face showed that he understood he had just interrupted something.

"Yes, of course, Merlin. Inform the knights to get ready to leave." Arthur told him, before we both watched him leave. Once the dark haired man was out of sight, Arthur turned to look at me, a glint in his eyes. "Now, you were saying something, my strange princess?"

"I'm afraid you will no longer find out, sire. As we have been informed, it is time to leave." I told him, giving him a smirk.

"And here I was thinking that you were having fun." Arthur teased.

"And I was having fun. But there is nothing to say we cannot carry on having fun when we get back to the safety of Camelot." I told him, letting him help me stand up. "While we may have to return, no one has said that we have to part company."

I could see the cogs turning in his head as he processed what I had just said to him. "Princess Isabella, will you join me for dinner tonight?"

"Well, I was thinking about washing my hair and skipping dinner completely." I told him as we walked back towards where the group were. "If we make it back in one piece then yes, I will join you for dinner." The moment I had said that I saw his eyes light up.

"We should head back then, and I shall make sure to protect you, my princess." He said, taking my hand and kissing the back of it. He was starting to be just as silly as I was at times.

Once I was sitting atop of Nebula, what Arthur had said registered. "Your princess? Not your strange princess?" I questioned.

That made him blush slightly, making a few of the knights cover their mouths and hide their laughter. "Uh, let's just make our way back to Camelot. If we return late my father and your brother will be out for my head." He said, tugging at the reins of his own horse and leading the way.

I couldn't resist giggling a little at the way he had responded. I had actually made him blush in front of his knights, something that I am sure they would never let him live down.

We arrived back in Camelot before nightfall, and without there being any problems at all. Although Arthur did panic slightly when I decided to race him back to Camelot as soon as the city came into view. Nebula seemed to really enjoy himself, and we were both determined not to let Arthur beat us.

He walked me back to my chamber, neither of us spoke since we had arrived, but it was still a comfortable silence. "I'll see you in a little while for dinner then." I said, pulling my hand on the door handle.

Arthur smiled at me, and I found myself smiling back at him. "I look forward to it."

"And thank you for today, Arthur. I think that may have been the best day I have had since coming to Camelot." I told him, before slipping into my room to prepare myself for dinner. It had been more than just the best day since I arrived in Camelot, I was pretty sure it was the best day of my life in general.

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**A/N: Yes, I tried not to make it too fluffy, and I know there wasn't that much going on in it, but the big stuff is coming. I promise. **

**Thank you all for your lovely reviews, they seriously make me smile. And a thank you to everyone who has favourited/followed, I'm glad to know people like the story. **

**I will get the next chapter up as soon as I can, I'm flying to Holland in less than a week so I will do my best top update while away. **

**Pippa. **


	12. Tears and Smiles

**A/N: I am so sorry for the long wait guys. I'm not going to make up excuses, I've just been busy with other things. Sorry again, and sorry for any spelling and grammatical errors as well.**

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The days seemed to just fly by after the enjoyable picnic with Arthur. I was dragged around with my brother to so many meetings with Uther, but so was Arthur. We spent more time trying to make each other laugh than listening to what was being said. Eventually the pair of kings gave up trying to involve us and sent us away.

"Now, I expect you to behave, Bell." Mitch told me firmly. "Do not go out looking for trouble. Knowing you, you'd actually find it in a matter of minutes." There was a serious look on his face, and I knew that he meant every word that he was saying.

After just over 2 weeks, there had still been no sightings of him. I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. He hadn't shown up in Camelot, which most likely meant that he didn't know I was there, but we had no idea where he was. I was always worried that he was out there watching me, just waiting for his moment to strike.

"I know, I promise, Mitch." I whispered, as he pulled me in for a tight hug. "Tell Dom I miss him, and that he needs to hurry up and come visit me soon, yeah?"

He nodded at me. "Of course I will, Bell. I know how much he wanted to come, he misses you as well. Just… take care and stay safe. Make sure you write."

"I will." I was fighting back the tears. I didn't want my brother to go, not without me, but he was. He had to go back to Elbear and I had to stay in Camelot. That really wasn't what I wanted, I wanted to go back with him, to be with him and Dom, but Mitch, Arthur and even Uther wouldn't let me go anywhere. I hated it so much.

"Come on, no tears now, Bell." Mitch said, wiping them as they finally decided to fall. "This won't be forever, okay? I promise you, everything will work out fine." He hugged me tightly one last time, planting a soft kiss on the top of my head before mounting his horse.

I stood there and watched as they rode out of Camelot, leaving me behind. It didn't take long for the mass of green to disappear from my sight, leaving me to stand there looking at nothing.

"Isabella?" A voice called, a hand settling on my shoulder. I slowly turned and saw Arthur standing beside me, with Merlin next to him. The tears were still swimming in my eyes, a few escaping and rolling down my cheeks. Arthur didn't say anything, he just wrapped his arms around me tightly as I gave in and let the drops of water flow from my eyes.

I wasn't really paying much attention to anything that was happening, I was allowing Arthur to lead me through the castle, I was too upset and confused to really care at the time. I could hear him speaking to me, but my head wouldn't process the anything that was coming from his mouth.

"_Isabella? Are you all right?"_ I looked up and saw Merlin looking at me with concern. _"Arthur's been talking to you, but you've just been… well, not here, is probably the best way to put it."_

"_Sorry."_ I called back to him quietly. With everything that was going on, I had almost completely forgotten that he could talk to me through our minds. _"I'm just… I don't know."_

I saw a small smile creep across his face. _"You're upset that your brother has left and that you're stuck here in Camelot with the arrogant prince."_

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. _"I'm upset that my life is being decided for me, Merlin. That I have completely lost any freedom I ever had. I may as well just be thrown in the dungeon and left there to rot."_

"_It won't always be like this, Isabella."_ He tried to assure me. _"We will find him and you will be safe."_

Before I had a chance to reply to my warlock friend, Arthur was speaking to me once more. Only this time, I did manage to hear what he was saying. "Isabella?" I opened my eyes and looked over at him. "I know that none of this is easy for you, but I promise you, I will do everything to protect you." I simply nodded at him in response. "You know where I am if you need me." He took a step closer to me and wrapped his arms around me tightly. I let myself relax a little, knowing that Arthur meant every word that he said.

A few minutes later, both he and Merlin were gone, and I was left alone in my chamber. The room suddenly felt cold, so I dragged myself over to my bed and huddled up under the covers, no longer caring about the tears that were streaming down my hot cheeks.

Eventually I let the darkness surround me and fell into a restless sleep. I kept seeing my uncle, chasing me, hunting me down. Everywhere I went, I saw him, hiding in the shadows with an evil smirk on his face. He was waiting, waiting for the perfect moment to take me, to get rid of me before hitting my brothers.

That was when I woke up sharply, my chest pounding as I struggled to breathe. How could my life have turned into this? When had I become so weak and afraid? I tried to dismiss it all, to forget about the dreams. I was in Camelot, a place I never believed existed, and Prince Arthur had sworn to protect me. How many people could say that?

I glanced over at the window and saw how dark it was outside. Night had fallen while I was sleeping restlessly, and just wished for it to be the morning already. The night left too many shadows, too many hiding places for someone who was up to no good.

Less than a minute later there was a soft knocking on my door. "Isabella? Are you awake?" Arthur called through the door.

I pulled the sheets away from my legs and let my feet touch the cold stone floor, walking over to the wooden door to let the prince in. "Yes, I am awake, Arthur." I mumbled, rubbing my sore eyes a little.

He glanced over my shoulder and towards the table in the room before frowning at me. "You haven't eaten." He said, sounding a little like my brothers.

I shrugged my shoulders at him. "That's probably because I've been asleep for most of the time. I don't think I usually eat in my sleep." I told him, trying to get over that stupid dream about my uncle.

"Well then, maybe you should come with me and eat in my chamber." He said, holding out his hand, waiting for me to take it. The moment I did, a smile stretched across Arthur's face as he led me away from my chamber and over to his instead. "You need to look after yourself, Isabella. You're brother isn't here to make sure you do, so I'm going to make sure instead."

I didn't say anything as he opened the door to his chamber, where I saw Merlin setting things down at the table. He just smiled over at me before Arthur pretty much dragged me to the table. _"You okay?"_ My warlock friend called to me, giving me a concerned look.

"_Yeah, I'm okay. Just… tired."_ I lied. I didn't really want to tell them that I was stressing over my uncle once more. If I told them, then they would just keep trying to reassure me that they would find him and that everything would be okay. I was sick of hearing the same thing over and over again.

Merlin frowned at her as he started to pick up the dirty clothes that had been thrown on the floor. _"Tired? You've been sleeping since you're brother left. How can you still be tired?"_ He asked me.

I let out a silent sigh. _"Really easy, actually. Look, I'm fine, okay? Just leave it at that Merlin."_ He studied me carefully before giving me a small smile.

"Isabella?" Arthur called, finally managing to get my attention.

"Uh, sorry. My head is a little all over the place at the moment, sorry." I said, sitting down in the chair that he had pulled out for me.

Arthur just smiled at me, his blue eyes just gazing at me. "I know, it's okay. Now come on, you really need to eat something. If you don't then you're going to make yourself ill."

"I know, sorry." I said, hanging my head a little. For some reason I was feeling like a child being scolded.

Arthur was eating as well, and he kept glancing up at me every now and again, frowning when he saw how little I was touching the food on the plate before me. The truth of it was, I really didn't feel like eating, I just wanted to curl up in my bed and hide there for as long as I could.

"Talk to me, Isabella." Arthur said, breaking the silence that had been filling the room for so long now. There was so much worry on his face.

I let out a sigh. "What do you want me to say, Arthur?"

"I want you to tell me what is bothering you so much." He said, reaching over the table and taking a hold of my hand. "This isn't just about your brother leaving, is it?" I shook my head at him a little. "Then what is it?"

"Nothing, really it's nothing." I told him, but not putting much effort into being very convincing about it. I just didn't have the energy to even try, and I didn't want to be fighting with Arthur either. "I'm going back to my chamber. I'm tired, I need to get some sleep." I said, pushing the chair away and standing up.

"Isabella, everything is going to be okay." Arthur told me, getting up as well and taking a tight hold of my hand. "You're safe here."

I nodded at him as he led me back to my own chamber. There was still so much worry in his eyes, and I didn't like it. "I will be fine, Arthur. I'm just having a bad day, that's all. I didn't want my brother to leave yet, I wanted to spend some more time with him before he left. While he was here he was always so busy with your father that we didn't get to talk as much as I had hope." I told him, praying that it would ease his mind a little.

A small smile managed to work its way onto the prince's face. "I understand, Isabella. I am always here if you want to talk, okay?" I simply nodded my head, before I was taken by surprise by Arthur pressing his lips lightly against my own. "Good night, Isabella."

"Goodnight, Arthur." I said, before opening the door to my chamber and stepping inside. I knew I needed to pull myself together, not just for me, but for Arthur as well. My behaviour was worrying him and I didn't like it when he was worrying. There was no need for him to worry about me, to even care about me. But he did, so I knew I needed take a deep breath and just get on with life.

After changing out of my clothes and into my nightdress, I crawled into my bed and pulled the covers around me tightly. I eventually managed to doze off, hoping for some peaceful sleep.

_A blue stone, glowing so brightly flashed across my mind. It was in the middle of a tomb, placed perfectly in the chest of the stone man it must have once belonged to. Then a saw a foot, stepping down on a slab of stone, setting off and arrow. _

_There was a man, brown hair falling across his eyes, he was skinny, but not where near as skinny as my favourite warlock. He was after something, and I saw him holding a set of keys that I thought were familiar. There was something about him that made me not trust him. _

_Then I was back by the tomb, and the stone was missing, fear flooding me. A raven, a single raven flew across the night sky, before the gargoyles that usually sat so peacefully atop the castle sprang to life. The city was being attack, people were being killed and injured. Arthur was hurt, I could see him bleeding, but he was alive. _

_That man, the man with the brown hair, I could see him, standing in front of Merlin. A strange mist appeared around the pair, and Merlin fell to the ground. _

I woke up, screaming Merlin's name, not just with my voice, but in my head as well. There were tears streaming down my face, my chest thumping from the way my heart was racing. The next thing I knew, the door to my chamber swung open and a very scared and worried looking Merlin stood there staring at me.

"Isabella, are you okay? What happened?" He asked me, coming over to the bed where I was still sitting.

"I was… It… It was just a nightmare, that's all." I told him, trying to regain control of my breathing.

He looked at me softly. "Was it about your uncle?" He asked, sitting on the edge of the bed. I shook my head at him. "Then what happened?"

"I… I don't want to talk about it. I can't, it was awful, Merlin." Before he had a chance to say anything else, we both heard Arthur shouting for him. "You better go and see what he wants." I told him, wiping away the wetness from my cheeks with the back of my hand.

"Are you going to be okay?" He asked me, getting a nod from me in response before he fled to the room where the prince was still bellowing for him.

A few minutes later, the voice of the prince faded. I didn't want to go back to sleep, and then realised that with the noise that was going on, I probably wouldn't be able to anyway. I had not noticed the banging noise in the distance before, I was used to there being noise around me. "Why do I feel like something terrible is going to happen?" I mumbled to myself as I put my head in my hands.

There came a light knocking on my door, before a voice floated through it. "Isabella?" Arthur called.

"Come in, Arthur." I called, dragging myself out of the bed and sitting on the edge of it as he walked in.

"Is everything all right? Did the noise wake you?" He asked, coming and sitting on the edge with me.

I shook my head at him. "No, I just had a bad dream, that's all." I told him, hoping that he wouldn't ask too many questions about it. For some reason, I felt like I should know what was going to happen, like I had seen it all before. But I couldn't remember where, or when.

"You uncle?" That was the same thing that Merlin had asked.

"No, it was weird and stupid. Just a bad dream, nothing more." I told him, really wishing he would just leave the topic alone and move past it. I didn't want to talk about it to him, just like I didn't want to tell Merlin all about it either.

"I'll have Merlin get you a draught from Gaius to help you sleep." He offered.

"No, Arthur, it's fine. Really, I don't need any potions or anything. I'm just stressed and anxious. I will be fine." I assured him. I didn't want to be taking potions like my dear friend Morgana did, and besides, they didn't work for her.

"Are you sure, Isabella? It wouldn't be a problem." There was that worried look on his face once more.

"Arthur, I am sure. You need to worry about me less. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself, as you should well know by now." I told him, referring back to our little encounter with the bandits that ruined my dress.

The prince just frowned at me. "Isabella, I care about you, so of course I am going to worry." He told me, taking a tight hold of my hand that was sitting in my lap. "You are my impossible, strange Princess after all." I couldn't help but smile at the goofy grin that was on his face. "I like it when you smile."

"I like it when you make me smile." I whispered, but not low enough for him to not hear me.

"I like making you smile." His blue eyes were shining and fixed on mine. They were just drawing me in, like they had every other time. It was like there was something inside of me, telling me this was right, that this was how things were always meant to be. But then my head would just jump in there and tell me to wake up and get real.

I frowned, my ears straining to hear any sound it could in the distance. "It's quiet." I whispered, glancing over at the window.

"Finally." Arthur cried, letting out a sigh of relief. I guess that noise had been keeping him up and that was why he had called Merlin, to go and tell them to shut up.

"I take it all the noise was keeping you awake, and depriving you of your much needed beauty sleep." I said, teasing him a little. Knowing that I could say things like that to him, and get away with it, always made me feel better.

He just looked at me, a grin on his face. "I have to keep myself in shape if I want to impress you, my dear princess, and that requires me to sleep."

"Aw, that is so sweet of you, Arthur." I said, pretending to be impressed. "But I know you, you need to do a lot more if you want to impress me. Sleeping isn't very impressive, and neither is bullying your servant."

"That is tremendously impolite of you, Princess Isabella." Arthur replied, pretending to be hurt by my words.

I shrugged my shoulders at him. "If you don't like the truth, you know where the door is." I said, a smirk on my face as I pointed towards the door. "Now, if you don't mind, I think I may just head back to sleep. Why don't you try and do the same thing? Since your sleep is so important to you."

"You are impossible, Isabella." He replied, looking at me with a confused expression.

I couldn't help but smile, I was ready to confuse him even more. "And that is just how I like it." I told him, before leaning over and giving him a kiss on the cheek. "Now get out." I ordered, pointing at the door.

It was amazing how quickly just spending time with Arthur could change my moods. I had been so scared and worried from those stupid nightmares of mine before he arrived, but being around him just made me relax.

"Join me for breakfast?" He asked, just looking at me with a soft smile.

I couldn't stop myself from rolling my eyes at him. "If I must."

His smile grew bigger as he reached over and his lips touched mine. It wasn't a passionate kiss, but just the feeling of him being so close made me scream like a love struck teenager inside. "I'll see you in the morning, Isabella." He whispered, before getting up from my bed and leaving the room.

For a moment I just sat there, a stupid smile stuck on my face because of the arrogant prince. He just kept on surprising me, by being so kind and caring, rather than harsh like how I had seen him with Merlin, and how he had been with me at first. He didn't seem to like the fact that I refused to show him any manners, but he wasn't showing me any at the time either.

In such a short time, things seem to have progressed really well. Arthur and I were rather close now, and I knew he was doing his best to protect me. I was happy, climbing back into my bed and just thinking about Arthur.

"Isabella, time to wake up." A voice called to me, disturbing me from a much better dream than what I had been having.

"Get lost, Merlin." I mumbled, pulling the covers over my head, hoping to block out any more sound that came my way.

"I thought you were going to join me for breakfast?" My eyes shot open, as I twisted myself around in the bed and shot up to look at the owner of the voice.

Arthur was sitting there, on the side of the bed, just staring at me. "Arthur Pendragon, what on Earth do you think you are doing in my chamber?" I asked him, trying my best to sound very annoyed with him.

"I believe I was waking you up. I seem to have managed that." There was a smirk on his face, and something told me he had other things up his sleeve.

I just glared at him. "And I believe that is Merlin's task, and not yours. What do you want, Arthur?"

He looked at me a little sheepishly. "I, uh, did actually come to wake you up. Merlin is busy and you're useless at getting yourself up." He told me. "So, are you going to get up and join me for breakfast?"

I let out a groan. "Okay, fine, I will get up. How long have to been sitting there for, anyway?" I couldn't help but ask him out of curiosity.

He shrugged his shoulders at me. "Not long. You know, you were smiling while you were sleeping." Arthur told me, making a red tint creep up my neck and to my cheeks. "You looked happy, Isabella." There was something about the way he had spoken, the tone of his voice, it sounded like sadness.

"Well, of course I was happy, I was asleep. If you want to see me happy when I'm awake, get out and let me get dressed so we can eat."

"And are you going to eat more than just an apple today?" The prince asked me, not yet moving from my bed.

"I don't know, I haven't decided yet. It really depends on what is on offer. But I may push the boat out and have two apples." I told him, only earning myself a frown. "Arthur, I'm trying, okay. It's not easy for me, my body can't cope with too much food. You just have to let me adjust to it all."

His face quickly softened as he realised that it was upsetting me a little. It did upset me, because they were offering me so much food that I just couldn't eat. Then there were people in the lower town who were struggling to find any food, and I was just wasting it.

"I know, and I am sorry for pushing you to eat, I just don't want to see you getting ill, Isabella." Arthur told me softly, taking a hold of one of my hands.

"Strangely enough, I don't want to get ill either, Arthur. And that is why I am careful with how much I eat. But if it will make you feel better, I will promise to try to eat more than just an apple today." I saw his eyes light up at the promise, and he quickly kissed the back of my hand.

"I better let you get dressed then. I'll see you soon." He said, before placing my hand back down in my lap, getting off the bed and making his way back to his own chamber.

I let out a sigh as I pushed myself off the bed and stumbled over to the wardrobe, grabbing the first dress I laid my hands on. It was a rich lavender, with silver embroidery down the sleeves. It was more than good enough to join the prince for breakfast in, so I hurriedly changed and made my way to his chamber.

"Arthur, you really should tell her." I heard Merlin mumbling in Arthur's chamber.

"I can't, Merlin. She is already worrying enough. I just want her to be happy, and she will be happier not knowing." The prince replied. I was curious as to what they were talking about, so decided to carry on eaves dropping a little longer.

"But if something happens to her…"

"It won't. I will not let anything happen to her." Arthur warned him, in a very low voice. Whatever it was that was going on, I knew it was serious, which made me worry. "I will deal with it, Merlin. Now, go and see if she has actually decided to get up."

I quickly shot back to my chamber door, and made it look like I was just coming out of my room. "Morning, Merlin." I called to him, taking my hand of the handle to my door.

"Good morning, Isabella. Arthur wanted me to come and check that you hadn't decided to go back to sleep." He said, smiling at me as best he could. I could see that there was something bothering him, and now it was bothering me too. I wanted to know what the hell they had been talking about, but I had a fairly good idea already.

"Well, as you can see I am dressed and ready to face whatever the arrogant prince has to throw at me." I said, doing my best to keep a smile on my face.

The moment I stepped into Arthur's chamber I knew something was wrong. He quickly shifted away from the window, standing tall and regal. I had seen him do that before, when something was bothering him but he didn't want anyone else to know about it. I done my best to smile at him, to make it seem like I knew nothing was wrong.

The truth was, with the nightmares I had been having, I knew something was wrong. The nightmare before, the one where I screamed Merlin's name really frightened me. The ones with my uncle in, I can handle those, because he is after me and no one else. But when I see my friends and innocent people being hurt, well it hurts me as well.

"Good morning, Prince Arthur." I said sweetly to him.

I watched as he let out an anxious breath and relaxed a little. "Good morning, Isabella. Come, let's eat. I hope you are true to your word and at least try to eat more than just a single apple this morning." He said, pulling out the chair at the table for me to sit down on.

"As I said before, I promise to try. Just don't push me, Arthur, otherwise you really will regret it." That was when I saw a real smile creep onto his face as he sat down opposite me.

"I have no doubt that you would make my life a living hell, Princess Isabella." He said, pushing the bowl of fruit towards me. "I am sure that is your goal in life, to annoy me."

I couldn't help but smirk at him. "I aim to please, Sire." Arthur just shook his head at me as I grabbed an apple and crunched into it while he started on the slop that was porridge. It looked disgusting, and I was pretty sure I would be sick if I had to eat it, that was why I was more than happy to just stick with my fruit.

At least Arthur was calm, relaxed, and happy. I liked it better when he was happy, he wasn't so bossy and controlling. He really was a pleasure to be around when he was happy, and I felt the need to make sure that he stayed happy.

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**A/N: Okay guys, we are about to get cracking with the series now. I hope you are all looking forward to it. **

**I know I have been terrible with my updating, but I'm planning on getting a lot done. I'm out of Uni now until the end of September, so I plan on working my backside off on these stories.**

**A big thank you to everyone who has followed/favourited, and for all of you who have stuck by the story. And a massive thank you to everyone who has reviewed. **

**I love your reviews, they make me smile and make me feel guilty for not updating sooner. **

**I promise to get the next chapter up soon. **

**Pippa. **


	13. Ravens and Stones

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait guys, be a little too hooked on my Doctor Who fics. But here is the next chapter. **

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"We shall not be gone too long, Isabella." Arthur told me as we waited outside in the courtyard for Merlin to arrive.

I simply smiled at him. "You go and enjoy yourself. I'm looking forward to spending the day with Morgana." I told him, patting the neck of the horse we were standing by.

He smiled back at me, before noticing Merlin running down the steps. "Hurry up, Merlin."

"Sorry." My warlock friend mumbled, putting the items he had been carrying down and getting down on his hands and knees.

I shook my head, Arthur was using Merlin once again as a step to get on his horse. One day, I would change that, stop him using Merlin in such a way and teach him how to mount a horse all by himself.

The moment Arthur got on the horse, and straight away the saddle swivelled and he feel straight back off it again. I watched as the horse ran off, while the prince shouted at Merlin. That was nothing new, but I was trying to stop myself from laughing.

Merlin seemed just as shocked as Arthur was. "I don't understand." He said, feeling completely confused.

"Well, there's a surprise." Arthur retorted, once again having a dig at Merlin.

"I did that girth up myself."

"Well, I think that might have been the problem." Arthur told him, clearly not happy with what had happened.

I let out a sigh. "Arthur, leave him alone."

But I was completely ignored. "It wasn't my fault."

That was when a man came charging over, bringing Arthur's horse with him. "Would you like me to fit the girth properly for you, sire?" The man asked.

The moment I saw him my eyes widened. He looked like the man I had seen in my dream, the strange one I had the previous night, where I woke up screaming Merlin's name. There was something about him that I didn't like, that I didn't trust, and my dream was making it even worse.

Arthur just smiled at the man. "Thank you."

"It's an honour to be of service to the Prince." He said. Now, I know when someone was kissing up, and that man was definitely trying to kiss up to Arthur.

Unfortunately, Arthur just couldn't see that. "An honour. Do you hear that, Merlin?" He whispered, while the man fixed the girth.

"Allow me the honour of brushing your clothes down." The creepy man said, not even waiting for an answer before working on Arthur's clothes.

"The honour." Arthur whispered once more, making me roll my eyes.

"Anything else I can do for you, sire?"

Arthur thought about it for a moment, before looking over at Merlin. "Well, you can give Merlin here a kick up the backside." He said. I was getting ready to kick Arthur up the backside with that comment.

I watched as the other man laughed. "I wouldn't wish to deprive you of the pleasure, sire."

That just seemed to amuse Arthur even more. "What's your name?" Arthur asked him, clearly impressed with the man.

"Cedric. I've come to Camelot in search of work." He told Arthur. For some reason, he had not even looked at me, it was as if I was completely invisible to the man.

"_Merlin, I don't trust him."_ I whispered to him, glancing at him out of the corner of my eye. _"I can't tell you why, but I really, really don't like him."_

He glanced over at me as well and our eyes met. _"I don't trust him either. I know I done that up properly."_

"Good." Arthur called, getting our attention once more. "You can be a beater on the hunt. We're short of a man or two."

There was a grin on Cedric's face, a grin that looked more like a smirk to me. "You're too kind, sire."

"Here. You'll need a beater." Merlin said, shoving the stick straight into the man's stomach. "Oh, sorry." I had to stifle a laugh, because I knew Merlin was definitely not sorry.

"Now, are you sure you're going to be okay here, Isabella?" Arthur asked me once more. He was so worried because he was leaving me in Camelot with nothing but the protection of some of his best knights.

"Arthur, I will be absolutely fine. I'm going to visit Morgana, I do not plan on leaving the castle at all." I didn't really like the worried look on his face, I could tell something was bothering him. "Is there something you're not telling me, Arthur?" I asked him, watching his reaction closely.

"Of course not. I shall see you when we return, Princess." Arthur said, reaching for my hand, taking it, and kissing the back of it. I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks.

"Stay safe, Arthur." I told him, before turning away. _"Look after him, Merlin."_ I called as I passed my warlock friend.

I made my way through the castle, lost in my own little world as I headed towards Lady Morgana's chamber. It wasn't until I bumped into Gwen that I looked up at where I was. "Isabella, is everything all right?" Gwen asked me, a worried look on her face.

"Uh, yes, yes of course. Sorry, Gwen, I was in my own little world just now." I told her, trying to shake off the bad feeling that I was getting. I couldn't stop it, I just felt like something terrible was going to happen, but I didn't know what.

"Are you sure?" Clearly Gwen was still worried.

I nodded at her. "Honestly, Gwen, I am absolutely fine. I've just had a little trouble sleeping since my brother left is all." I told her, hoping that she would accept that as a valid excuse.

A small smile crept across the woman's face. "Morgana is still having nightmares. She simply refuses to talk to me about them. Maybe you can get her to open up." Gwen suggested.

"I will try, Gwen. But I know what it is like to have nightmares, talking about them sometimes only makes the worry worse. But I will do my best." I said, before we said our goodbyes and I headed to Morgana's chamber.

I knocked on the door and waited for the woman to call for me to enter. Once she had, I opened the door and saw her standing over by the window. "Morgana, is everything okay?" I asked her, seeing the anxious look on her face.

"I… I don't know. I keep having these dreams." Morgana admitted. I already had a feeling that was what it was going to be about.

"Then you are not alone, Morgana." I told her, getting her to look at me with her face full of confusion. "Last night I had a nightmare. I saw so many different things, but it all led to people being hurt." I told her

She stepped away from the window and towards me. "Isabella, I'm scared. What if my dreams are going to come true? They came true before." She told me, a hint of panic in her voice.

"I know, Morgana. You told me all about it. We can only hope that they really are simply dreams." I told her, trying to assure her as much as I could. "I for one do not wish for any of my dreams to come true. So I will continue to ignore them. I suggest you do the same, Morgana."

She nodded at me, and we stayed there speaking for some time, just talking about anything that popped into out heads. We avoided talking anymore about our dreams, and everything seemed pleasant until I started to feel a little lightheaded. "Isabella, are you all right?" Morgana asked me, gently touching my arm.

"I fear I have a slight headache coming on." I told her, rubbing my head a little and trying to clear my vision. "I think I will go and have some rest. I doubt Arthur and the others will be back anytime soon." Even though I was begging for them to come back on the inside. I didn't know why, but something really felt wrong, and I just wanted them home safely.

"Do you wish for me to come with you?" Morgana asked, helping me to stand.

"No, there's no need to fuss over me. I'll be fine. And so will you, Morgana. You know where I am if you want to talk about anything." I told her, making her nod at me. "Good, then I shall see you later."

I stepped out of her chamber and started making my way back to my own, only for my stomach to start to churn as well. "Uh, maybe I should go an see Gaius." I mumbled to myself, taking a different turn and heading towards the physician's chamber instead of my own.

I knocked on the door, waiting for the elderly man to let me enter his room. I heard him call for me to enter, and so I lifted the latch and opened the door. "Ah, Princess Isabella, is anything the matter?" Gaius asked me, getting up from where he had been working with some books and coming over to me.

"At the moment, yes. My head keeps spinning and I am a little worried that I am going to be emptying my stomach soon." I told him, taking a deep breath and trying to pull myself together.

"Come, let me have a look at you." He said, hold out an arm, gesturing for me to sit down. I done as he told me and he started to check my eyes. "What did you have for breakfast this morning?" The old man asked me.

I bit my lip as I replied. "An apple."

He nodded at me. "And have you eaten anything else at all?" I just shook my head at him. I probably wouldn't bother to eat anything until dinner now, and even then I wasn't going to be eating much. "You need to start eating more, Isabella. The reason for the dizziness and sickness is lack of nourishment. You're all skin and bones." He told me.

"Gaius, it is really hard for me to eat. I'm so scared that I'm going to eat too much and just bring it all back up." I told him, being completely honest with him. "It's not like I get hungry or anything. I'm not used to having food available to me. I spent so long going without it, it's not easy for me to adjust."

The man got up from where he was sitting and headed over to one of his many cabinets. I watched as he checked through different vials, before returning with two different bottles. "Here, take some of this before eating and if you start to feel sick at any time, a drop of this." He said, handing me the two small bottles.

"Thank you, Gaius. And… can we please not tell Arthur about any of this? He worries about me enough as it is, I don't want him to worry even more." I asked him. If Arthur found out, he would be even more determined to make sure that I ate more, and he would keep a much closer eye on me as well. That was the last thing that I wanted.

"Of course. Is there anything else I can help you with?" Gaius asked me politely.

I wondered if I should tell him, about the dream that I had. "Gaius, last night I had a terrible dream. None of it made any sense, it was just flashes of things, some I recognised, some I had never seen before." I told him. I could see that he was listening, and that was what I needed, someone to listen. "Last night I saw a man, in my dreams. I think he was after something, some sort of blue stone. Today I saw that man in Camelot."

I saw a flicker of something in the old man's eyes. He knew something, I just knew he did. "This stone, can you describe it to me?" He asked, acting very calm.

"It was rather big, blue, and shaped like a heart. It was in the chest of some man's tomb, I remember that much." There was definitely recognition in the man's eyes, he knew what it was, he knew exactly what I was talking about. "You know something, Gaius. What's going on? I know something has happened, I heard Arthur talking."

The old man let out a sigh. "Last night, a tomb was uncovered. An ancestor to the King. And there, in the tomb, is a blue stone, exactly like the one you have described to me." He said.

"And do you know whose tomb it is?" I asked, knowing that there was much more to the story than I was being told. Everyone was trying to protect me from every little thing, but I was not a child and refused to be treated like one.

"That is what I am trying to uncover. I have an idea, but I do not wish to be right." There was a grim look on his face, and I knew it was serious. "Now, you should return to your chamber, Isabella, go and get some rest."

He was trying to get rid of me, but I was not going to go so easily. "Gaius, what about the man that I saw? I saw him today, he went off on the hunt with Arthur. I don't trust him, I know he is after something here in Camelot. Merlin doesn't trust him either."

That grabbed the man's attention. "Merlin doesn't trust him? What reason has he got for that?"

"I told him that I didn't trust him. And it was the way the man was this morning, he was trying to impress Arthur, trying to make Merlin look bad." I told him. That was something that I was still annoyed about, the way Arthur had treated Merlin.

"Well then, we must make sure Merlin keeps an eye on this man. Now go, it will be getting dark soon and the hunting party will be returning." Gaius told me, still trying to get rid of me.

I nodded at him and headed for the door, but before I had a chance to open it, Merlin came in with a rather dejected look on his face.

"What's wrong?" Gaius asked him, having gone back over to where he was working.

Merlin let out a sigh. "I saved Arthur's life, someone else got the credit. Just the usual. What are you doing?" He asked, not noticing that I was standing in the room yet.

"I was just speaking with Princess Isabella about a dream she had last night." Gaius told him, causing Merlin to look over at me sharply.

"I take it that creep was the one who took the credit for saving Arthur?" I asked, walking straight back over to where I had been and sitting down. I could tell they were hiding something, and I was not leaving until I knew what it was.

"Yeah, Cedric." It was clear Merlin was far from happy. "And now he has a job in the castle. Great." He mumbled.

"You need to keep a close eye on him, Merlin. He's up to something, I know he is." I told him, studying him as he looked from me to Gaius.

"You should be getting back, Arthur will be looking for you." Merlin told me, trying to get rid of me just like Gaius had.

That was it. I wasn't going to stand for it anymore. "No, I am not going anywhere until the pair of you tell me what is going on. I know it has something to do with my dreams, and something that happened last night. And so until you tell me, I shall be going nowhere." I said, crossing my arms in front of my chest, making my point clear that I was staying until they came clean about everything. Yes, I was going to be a stubborn little brat until I got what I wanted, it was the only way I was going to find out what was really going on.

I saw both the men look at each other, as if trying to decide whether they should include me or not. Gaius just let out a sigh a picked up some of the papers he had been looking at. "I found this inscription on the sceptre." Merlin and I quickly walked over to have a look at the writing.

"What language is that?" Merlin asked, just as I was thinking it.

Gaius simply shook his head. "I don't know. Sigan would have known many languages."

"Sigan?" Merlin questioned. Neither of us had any idea who that was, and I had a feeling we didn't really want to know either.

"It's his tomb."

"But who was he, Gaius?" I asked, still completely lost over it all.

He looked up at myself and Merlin, a grim expression set on his face. "He was the most powerful sorcerer to have lived."

I let out a groan. "Oh lovely, just what we need. Another threat to Camelot."

"For those of us that grew up in Camelot, Cornelius Sigan was a figure of nightmare." Gaius told us, making Merlin ask why. "Sigan's powers. He could change day into night, turn the tides, and legend has it, his spells helped build Camelot itself."

"And what happened to him?" I asked, certainly feeling very nervous. Something about all of this seemed familiar to me, but I just couldn't put my finger on it. It was like it was there, at the back of my mind, but it was hiding, trying so hard not to be found.

"In the end he grew too powerful and the King at that time ordered his execution." Gaius told us.

The worry on his face told me there was more to the story, and it wasn't as clear-cut as a powerful sorcerer loosing his head and that being the end of it. "You think there is something more going on, don't you, Gaius?" I asked him, taking Merlin by surprise a little but receiving a nod from the old man.

"Sigan couldn't bear the thought that his wealth and power would die with him, so he became obsessed with finding a way to defeat death itself." Gaius told us.

Merlin just looked horrified, and to be honest, I didn't like where it was heading either. "You think he might have succeeded?" Merlin asked. You could hear the worry in his voice.

"Let's hope not, for all our sakes." Gaius said. I was definitely more than just a little freaked out now, after everything that had been going on with my uncle, I wasn't exactly pleased that there could be yet another threat looming over us. "Now, Merlin, I think you should escort Isabella to he chamber now. And not a word of this to anyone, either of you."

I just nodded at him. Who was I going to tell anyway? The only person I could talk to about it was Merlin, and he already knew.

"What brought you to visit Gaius today?" Merlin asked me as we walked towards my chamber.

"Oh, uh, the nightmares." I told him, fiddling with the bottles in my hand. "After last night I decided I needed to see Gaius about them. He has given me something to help me sleep." I wanted to pat myself on the back for coming up with such a brilliant excuse.

"Isabella, there you are!" Arthur shouted, jogging down the corridor and towards us. "I went to your chamber but you were not there. So I went to Morgana and she told me you left hours ago to get some rest. Where have you been?" He asked, looking a little relieved to see her.

"Sorry, Arthur. I was with Gaius, he has given me something to help me sleep." I said, spinning him the same lie that I had given to Merlin.

Arthur just frowned at me. "Since when did you have much trouble sleeping?" Okay, he wasn't buying it.

"Arthur, there is a reason I hate getting up in the mornings. It's usually because I have hardly slept during the night." I told him, hoping he would take it and leave it.

"Morgana said you weren't feeling too well." He said, taking a step towards me. Oh dear, he was not going to drop the subject so easily, was he?

I let out a sigh. "Because I am tired, Arthur. That is all it is, I'm just tired, okay? Lack of sleep generally does make one more tired than normal."

I could tell from the look on his face that he still didn't completely believe me, but something told me that he was going to drop it and move on to something else. "Have you eaten much today?" He asked me, his eyes just fixed on me. I should have seen that one coming as well. He really was starting to keep tabs on me, he was thinking of everything.

I shook my head at him, I really didn't want to lie to him anymore than I already had. "No, not since this morning." I told him.

"Come, you shall dine with me now." He said, holding out his hand for me to take.

"Let me return to my chamber first, Arthur. Then I will come and join you for something to eat. Okay?" I was giving him my best, puppy dog eyes, hoping that he would let me. I needed to take some of that draught that Gaius had given me if I was going to try to eat more than what I was used to.

"Of course, but do not be too long, Isabella." He said, still taking a hold of my hand and walking me towards my chamber. "Merlin, off you go. You have work to do." Arthur called to him, making him let out a groan of annoyance.

"Stop being so mean and bossy to Merlin." I hissed at Arthur as we made it closer to my room. I was really getting fed up with the way that he was treating him, and this morning was even worse.

"Isabella, he is a servant, it is his duty to do what I tell him." Arthur told me, acting all high and mighty.

"He may be a servant, but he still has feelings. Merlin is still a person who deserves to be treated with respect. I am pretty sure I told you before, treat others how you would want to be treated." I told him, really confident that I had said something like that to him the day I first met him.

"You are impossible, Isabella." Arthur told me, just as we reached my door.

I turned and smile at him. "I know, and aren't you glad that I am."

He laughed a little. "Yes, and I wouldn't want you to be any other way." He said, glancing both ways down the corridor before leaning down and pressing his lips against mine, taking me completely by surprise.

"Right, well…" I said, trying to compose myself after the Prince distracted me with a rather passionate kiss. "I shall see you in your chamber shortly, oh great prince of arrogance."

Arthur just smiled at me. "Until then, my strange princess." He said, giving me a peck on the lips before wandering down to his own chamber. I shook my head, dispersing several inappropriate thoughts.

I was just digging myself a deeper hole. The more time I spent with Arthur, the more I really did start to like him. He really wasn't all that bad, everyone had bad points, but his good points always outweighed the bad. The problem was, I was getting myself too involved, I was starting to care too much. This wasn't my life, this was a fantasy whether I liked it or not. And sooner or later, it was all going to come crashing down on me, taking me back to the life I had before.

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**A/N: Don't worry, there will be a lot more Merlin in the next chapter, I promise. I just want to say a big think you to everyone who has ****favourited/followed. And those who have reviewed, you guys are totally amazing. **

**So, you keep I keep writing, you keep reading, you keep reviewing. I think that's a good plan. **

**Until next time!**

**Pippa. **


	14. Servants and Friends

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait for this one guys, I've been having trouble writing. But all better now!**

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Dinner with Arthur had been very uneventful. He kept talking about the hunt, how the stranger, Cedric, had saved his life and was now working in the castle. I just nodded my head and smiled at him most of the time, not really paying too much attention to what he was saying.

Eventually he noticed that I had completely zoned out. "Isabella? Are you all right?" He asked me, the worry showing on his face, as always.

"I'm sorry, Arthur. It's been a long day and unfortunately I still do not feel all that well." I told him, trying so hard to keep my eyes open. Sure, I was tired, but I didn't want to sleep, I didn't want to have any more nightmares.

"Do you wish for me to send for Gaius?" Arthur asked me. I hated the way he was always worrying about me, he shouldn't have to worry about me, he shouldn't care about me at all.

I quickly shook my head, and regretted it as it started spinning. "No, it's fine. Maybe it is time I returned to my chamber and tried to get some rest."

"Of course." He replied, getting up from where he was seated and offering to help me up as well. There was a slight problem, my legs had already decided to shut down and go to sleep, meaning I literally fell into Arthur's arms. "Isabella, are you all right?"

"I would be if my legs would work." I mumbled, trying so hard to move them but utterly failing. I was just too exhausted, and getting back to my chamber was going to prove a challenge. At least that's what I had thought.

"Allow me." Arthur said, before taking me by surprise and sweeping me off my feet.

"Arthur, put me down." I hissed at him as he headed towards the doors, carrying me bridal style in his arms.

"I shall happily put you down when you are safely in your chamber, Princess Isabella." He replied, managing to open the door while still carrying me.

"Oh, God. This is embarrassing." I muttered, hoping that there was no one around to see that the prince was carrying me down the corridor and to my own room. "You know, I'm going to have to plot revenge on you now." I warned him, letting him know that I was unhappy with the current situation.

He simply raised an eyebrow at me. "Revenge for escorting you to your chamber?" He asked, trying his hardest not to smile.

"Revenge for carrying me to my chamber, like a damsel in distress." I told him, making sure to give him the fiercest glare I could. But that only made him laugh a little at me. "You're really enjoying this, aren't you, Arthur?"

He didn't answer me, he just continued to smile while he carried me into my room and gently placed me down on my bed. I was still glaring at him, seriously not happy with what he had just done. "Are you sure there isn't anything else the matter, Isabella?" He asked me, watching me intensely with his blue eyes.

"Really, I'm just tired. Look, I have a sleeping draught, now go away so I can get changed and sleep." I said, waving him towards the door.

He nodded at me, finally accepting my request and leaving me alone. "Goodnight, Isabella. I hope you sleep well tonight." Arthur said, before reaching the door.

I let out a sigh, I was already feeling guilty for lying to him. "Thank you, Arthur. May I join you for breakfast?"

Apparently that was the perfect thing to say, as his eyes just lit up like a Christmas tree. "I would be honoured if you would join me for breakfast. Until then, Princes Isabella." He said, before disappearing out of the door.

After actually managing to drag myself off the bed and over to get changed, I passed out almost the instant my head hit the pillow. Only once again it was not going to be a restful night for me, as the nightmares returned, only this time there was more blood shed.

However, that was not the worst part. One of the gargoyles had come to life, which was now what was wreaking havoc on Camelot. This time I saw Arthur, facing the beast and being thrown to the side like he was nothing but in irritating bug. He was losing faith, along with his knights, they were getting nowhere with the stone creature.

When I looked at Arthur again, I saw the blood pooling out from a wound. He was on the ground, and he wasn't moving. The gargoyle was going to attack him again, he was lying there helpless, he was going to get killed.

Just as the beast went to strike Arthur, I woke up screaming my head off, again. It took a few minutes for my eyes to adjust, for me to realise where I was, but the moment I realised that I was in Camelot, and that Arthur was sleeping in the chamber next to mine, I tried to calm down.

My breathing was ragged and I felt like I was hyperventilating. That dream had really messed with my head. The last one, Arthur had only been injured, but now, well I didn't want to think back on it.

I let the tears silently roll down my cheeks as I tried so hard to steady my breathing and calm down. My heart almost got stuck in my throat when my door creaked open slightly and a worried Arthur stood there looking at me.

The back of my hand quickly brushed at my face, trying to dispose of the wetness, only I knew he had already seem the tears. "Isabella, is everything all right?" He asked me quietly, entering the room and cautiously walking over to where I was still huddled in the bed.

I nodded at him, feeling a lump in my throat. If I opened my mouth I was sure that a rather loud sob would come out. But I couldn't stop the tears from falling. It was like someone had left the tap on, and no matter how much you tried to turn it off, it just kept on flowing.

The next thing I knew, Arthur was sitting on the bed, his arms wrapped around me as a strange noise came from my throat. It was too late, I had let myself break down completely. "Hey, what happened, Isabella?" He asked me, trying to work out what had happened.

"N…nothing. I… I just had a… bad dream." I told him, still trying to regain control of myself.

I could see him frowning at me, not believing a word that I had just said. "A bad dream?" He asked, making me nod. "That made you scream?" I nodded at him again, a little more reluctantly. "What happened?"

That was when I shook my head at him. Like hell was I going to tell him what that nightmare was about. "It doesn't matter. You should go back to your own chamber, Arthur. I'm fine."

"Isabella, something is bothering you. I'd like you to be able to talk to me about these things. I just want to help you." He told me, taking a hold of my hand and giving it a squeeze.

I shook my head at him. "Arthur, it really doesn't matter. It was just a silly dream, that's all. It wasn't about my uncle or anything like that, so please, just leave it alone."

The look on his face told me that he didn't want to leave it, that he wanted to know exactly what was going on, but he left it. "Okay, are you going to be all right?" He asked, the worry showing in his voice.

I nodded at him. "I'll be fine. You worry to much, Arthur." I told him, giving him one of my best smiles.

"Are you sure, Isabella?" He asked, reaching out and lightly brushing the back of his fingers against my cheek.

I sighed. "Yes, I am sure, Arthur." I told him, talking a hold of his hand. "I shall be fine. Honestly."

The next moment, I felt his lips press lightly against my cheek. "Goodnight, Isabella. You know where I am if you need me."

"I know, thank you, Arthur. Now, go to your own chamber and sleep." Although I was telling him to go, I actually really didn't want him to. I wanted nothing more for him to stay there with me, put his arms around me, and just let me fall asleep like that. Yes, I was being very selfish and stupid. Like that was ever going to happen.

He simply looked at me, the concern still floating around in his eyes before he left the room. The problem now, was that I was in my room, alone, and scared of what was going to happen. These dreams seemed to be getting more and more vivid, and I didn't know what to do about it all.

"_Merlin? Are you awake?" _I whispered, hoping that if he was asleep that I wouldn't disturb him.

I was about to give up hoping that he was still awake when I heard him. _"Is everything okay, Isabella?" _He asked me, sounding slightly worried.

I shook my head, even though I knew he couldn't see it. _"More nightmares. Merlin, I'm scared. I mean, really, properly scared." _And I was.

"_I know you are, I can sense it. What happened Isabella?" _He asked me, sound so calm and a lot less screwed up than I was.

I didn't really know how to explain it all to him. _"Uh, something happened, I don't know what, but one of the gargoyles came to life and started attacking. Arthur got hurt, really hurt. All I could see was blood."_ I told him, trying to keep myself together. It was hard taking about it, just the thought of what I saw made my hear pound in my chest.

"_Everything will be all right, Isabella. Whatever it is, I won't let it happen. It's my destiny to protect Arthur, and you know I will do whatever it takes to do that."_ Merlin told me. And I knew he was right, he would do whatever it took to protect Arthur, but it couldn't stop me from worrying.

"_Just… don't tell Arthur. Promise you won't tell Arthur about these nightmares?" _I pleaded, not wanting him to have to worry any more than he already was.

"_I promise, Isabella. Now, please try to get a little more sleep. I know you're scared, but please try." _Yes, he was worried as well.

I let out a sigh, knowing that I had to at least try to sleep some more. _"Okay. Goodnight, Merlin." _I whispered to him, before settling myself back down in my bed and closing my eyes.

I must have eventually fallen asleep, as the sensation of someone touching me cheek began to wake me up. At first I froze, thinking that it could potentially be my uncle, but then I came to my senses. He would never touch me like that, he would rather hit me.

I managed to force me eyes open, but everything was still blurry. "Good morning, Princess." I heard someone say, while still feeling their touch on my cheek.

"Arthur?" I mumbled, trying to drag myself into the world of the living and conscious. I was actually finding it to be a very challenging task.

"Were you expecting someone else?" He asked me, brushing my hair away from my face.

I managed to chuckle a little, before giving up trying to open my eyes and closing them again. "If it was anyone else I would have to cause them some serious pain." I told him.

"And you'd really be able to do that right now, wouldn't you?" Arthur asked me. "You can't even open your eyes, Isabella."

"Hmm? I'm tired, what do you expect?" I asked him, feeling that I was just going to pass straight out again.

"Isabella, you promised to eat with me this morning. I will not eat until you do. You need to get up now." He told me, now with his hands on both sides of my face.

"Five more minutes." I mumbled, before tugging at one of his hands and wrapping my arms around his. I really was out of it still, I was lying there, hugging onto his arm like an idiot.

I was pretty sure I heard Arthur chuckling a little, before I felt the weight on the bed shift slightly. I really didn't have the energy yet to bother to find out what was going on, but the next thing I knew, Arthur had pulled his arm away from my grip and had it wrapped around me.

"Five more minutes, Isabella. Then you have to get up, okay?" He whispered to me.

I just mumbled a little, well it wasn't even a mumble really, it was just a murmur in response to what he had said. I couldn't explain why I was so tired, but I guess staying up half the night worrying about that stupid nightmare had something to do with it.

After that, I think I must have passed out again for more than just five minutes because Arthur seemed to be pretty worried when he heard him calling my name. "Come on, Isabella, you really need to wake up now." He said, shaking me a little. "Come on, wake up."

"You said I could have five more minutes." I told him, my voice coming out in a whispered.

That was when I heard him letting out a sigh. "Isabella, you've had more than five minutes. It really is time for you to get up now. We have a busy day ahead of us."

I groaned. "I don't have a busy day. All I have to do is stay out of trouble."

"And you get to stay out of trouble by spending time with me." He told me. "Now come on, please get up now."

This time, I actually managed to force my eyes to open. And the first thing that I saw was the blue eyes of the Prince of Camelot, lying beside me with his arm still around me. "Uh, morning." I said quietly, blinking a few times.

"Good morning, Isabella. Now, are you going to get up now?" He asked me, obviously waiting for me to say yes.

"I don't want to, but you're not going to let me go back to sleep again, are you?" I asked him, wondering why he was still holding me. It felt a little awkward to me, but I wasn't really going to complain.

"No, I most certainly am not. I think I shall send for Guinevere and have her come to assist in getting you dressed and to my chamber for something to eat." He told me, a sly grin working its way onto his face.

I knew he was serious, and I also knew that I had to take some more of that draught that Gaius gave me if I wanted to eat a little more to keep Arthur happy. "Okay, I'll get up. I'll come to your chamber as soon as I am dressed." I told him, covering my mouth as I let out a small yawn.

Arthur seemed to find that amusing, and laughed at me a little before surprising me by kissing the top of my head. "Don't be too long." He whispered, before untangling himself and heading out of the door.

Once he was gone, I felt wide awake, which was strange considering how tired I had felt only a few minutes ago. But I ignored it as I stumbled over to the wardrobe and pulled out a dress for the day.

I got myself dressed quickly, before making sure to take some of that awful tasting draught that Gaius had supplied me with. All I could do was hope that I really would be able to face more food than what I had been eating, because I wanted Arthur to stop worrying more than anything.

It was only a few minutes later that I found myself standing outside of Arthur's chamber. I knocked on the door and was relieved to find that Arthur had actually gotten up and answered it. "Isabella, that was quick." He commented, apparently surprised that I had gotten up and dressed and to his chamber so quickly.

I shrugged at him as he stepped aside to let me in. "I saw no point in hanging around. I kept you from your breakfast for long enough." I told him, going and sitting down at the table.

He simply smiled at my as he sat down opposite me. "Well, I'm not going to complain. I take it you didn't really get much sleep last night?"

"Not really. That's why I really didn't want to get up when you decided I should." I told him, before suddenly remembering what I done after he tried to wake me up the first time.

The smile on his face grew bigger. "Well, you managed to get a little longer in the end didn't you."

I felt my face turning red. "Yeah, sorry about that. I was still half asleep, I didn't really know what I was doing." I told him, trying to cover my reddening face with my hair a little. I was definitely embarrassed by the way I had latched onto his arm and hugged it. I can't even explain why I done that.

"Isabella, it's fine. It was fairly obvious that you weren't fully awake." He told me, still smiling.

Before I had the change to say anything else, Cedric came into the room, bring with him more plates than he could really carry. There was bread, meat, fruit, and who knows what else. I still didn't trust the man, not one bit.

"Good morning, Sire. Princess Isabella." He said, coming over to the table and putting things down.

I stayed silent as I watched him, watched him trying to impress Arthur with the lavish food he was serving up. When he was done with Arthur, he turned to look at me. The smile on his face was making me feel sick, I just knew that he couldn't be trusted. I decided to just grab and apple and crunched into it. None of the other foods on the table seemed to appeal to me.

I noticed a frown form on Arthur's face as he saw what I was eating. "Isabella, I do hope you are going to be eating more than that." He said, his eyes pleading with me to eat more.

"Arthur, you know what my appetite is like. And although what has been served looks wonderful, you know that is not what I would eat for breakfast." I told him, making the smile in Cedric's face falter. I guess he hadn't realised that he would need to please me as well as the prince.

"My apologies, Princess Isabella. Is there something else I can get you from the kitchen?" Cedric asked me, just as the door opened.

I glanced around a little and saw Merlin coming in, with another tray of food. "Is that lunch?" Arthur called, as Cedric piled some more meat onto his plate.

"No, it's breakfast…" He stopped when he saw what Arthur was eating. There was a look of horror on his face.

But I noticed it wasn't just Arthur's breakfast he had. There was a small bowl of porridge, or what I kept recognising as porridge, on the tray as well. _"If that's porridge, or oats, or whatever you want to call it in that bowl, you better give it to me right now."_ I called to my warlock friend.

"Princess Isabella, I have your requested breakfast." He said, coming over and placing the bowl down in front of me. Cedric really didn't seem to like that and scowled at Merlin.

"Thank you for remembering, Merlin." I said, before putting down what little was left of the apple and picking up the spoon. I was determined to eat it, for Arthur and now for Merlin as well. I was not going to let Cedric get away with what he was doing to my friend.

"Is there anything else that you need doing, Sire?" Merlin asked, standing there beside the table and trying not to glare too much at the man who was trying to take his job.

"No, I think Cedric's got it all covered." Arthur said, tucking back into his own food. I didn't like the way that he was treating Merlin, and maybe I should let him know that when we were alone.

That was when a smirk appeared and quickly vanished from Cedric's face. "Oh, I regret, Sire, there is one thing I failed to do. Uh, muck out your horses."

"Off you go." Arthur said, waving Merlin towards the door.

Cedric was only too happy to move from where he was standing. "I'll get the door for you." I hated him, seriously hated him. Arthur was just being too blind to see what was going on.

A short while later, Cedric excused himself, clearing the plates from the table. I admit, I had managed to eat a fair amount of the porridge, but it tasted absolutely awful. "So, what plans do you have for today?" I asked the prince, as he leaned back in his chair.

"Well, I was thinking I would take you for a walk around the town. You haven't been getting out much recently." He told me, watching me. "And you seemed to have eaten more this morning. I had no idea you had requested for something."

I just looked at him and smiled as best I could. "If you want me to eat more, Arthur, then I need something in front of me that I am actually going to eat. Merlin knew exactly what I wanted and brought it for me." I told him, trying to salvage Merlin's reputation with the prince.

He nodded. "Well, I'm glad that he did. Now come, there are things I wish to show you." He said, getting up from his chair and holding out a hand towards me. I took it, and let him help me up, before he led me towards the door.

It didn't take us long to make it out of the castle. I had to admit, it was nice to walk around and get a little fresh air for a change. I loved the castle, but I wanted to go outside a little more, but I could only do that if someone was with me, someone like Arthur.

As Arthur was talking to one of the guards, I felt something a little off. The next thing I knew, Arthur had pulled me to one side, holding me against him tightly as the horses charged down the street and past us.

There was only one horse that didn't run off with the rest, one white horse that started nuzzling at me, even with Arthur's arms still around me. "Isabella, are you all right?" The prince asked, looking me over, making sure there was no damage to me.

I nodded at him. "I'm fine, Arthur. Although I am curious as to what Nebula is doing here." I said, turning my head and being faced with the nose of a horse.

A frown began to form on his face. "Yes, so am I." He quickly took hold of the rope that was tied to Nebula, who instantly started kicking and fussing.

"Hey, calm down." I said, rubbing his nose. "Arthur is only taking you back home." I saw a smile coming from Arthur as I said this. I think he was still amazed at how well I was able to calm the most unruly and wild horse he owned.

"How do you do it, Isabella?" He asked me, making me look over at him in confusion. "The most dangerous horse I have, and he only listens to you."

I shrugged at him. "Maybe he knows we make a good team. Dangerous horse, add a strange and unruly princess, and you need to run for your life." I told him, a smile on my own face. I actually couldn't explain why I managed to control Nebula when no one else could.

When we made it back to the stables, Merlin was sprawled out on the hay covered ground, and his face, well, let's just say his head was using something rather unpleasant as a pillow. But there was something else, another smell, and this one was nothing to do with the horses that lived there.

"Sire!" Merlin cried, waking up and seeing Arthur standing there.

Arthur was less than impressed, and I knew Merlin was about to get hell for it. "What are you doing?" He asked, looking down at him.

"Nothing." My warlock friends replied, quickly pulling himself off the ground. He looked a little disorientated, confused.

"I can see that."

"I wasn't sleeping." Merlin protested. "I was… I was just bending down." I wanted to smack him myself for that stupid excuse of his.

"Looking for something?" Arthur asked him, his arms folded across his chest while I stood a little way behind with Nebula. He was tugging, trying to get away, but I was keeping a firm grip on him.

"Yes."

"Perhaps we're looking for the same thing." Arthur commented, giving his servant a very firm look.

Merlin just looked at him in confusion, he seemed to be half asleep still. "What?"

"Oh, I don't know, the horses." Arthur shouted, making Nebula pull back a little. I was quick to calm him down, knowing that Arthur hadn't meant to scare the poor boy, just Merlin.

That was when Merlin finally took the time to look around the stables, to find it was empty, all but us and a single horse. "The hor…ses. Oh." It finally dawned on him, making me roll my eyes.

"One mistake I can understand." Arthur told him, clearly getting annoyed with his manservant now. "Everyone has a bay day now and then, but this is one thing after another. Isabella almost got trampled."

Merlin's eyes widened. Arthur was being a little over dramatic there, I was never going to be trampled. At least I hope I wasn't. "I… I don't know what happened." He protested.

That was when I heard a voice that I really didn't want to hear. "Sire. Please, sire, don't be too hard on him. He's a good servant, he just… he's tired." Merlin and I both looked at him in disbelief. Now I know Arthur worked him to the bone sometimes, but there was no way that Merlin would just fall asleep in the middle of a job like that. Me, on the other hand, the way I was feeling recently, I probably would. But not Merlin.

"I am not." Merlin was quick to defend himself.

"Maybe… maybe if he had the evening off." Cedric suggested.

"I don't want the evening off."

"A good night's rest." Cedric continued, looking towards Arthur.

"I did not fall asleep." Merlin shouted, making Nebula flinch once more. It was pretty clear that he didn't like it when people were shouting around him, it made him nervous and I could understand why. Nova got like that as well.

"I'm more than willing to take over his duties tonight." The man offered.

I didn't like the idea, but it seemed Arthur did. "Perhaps you're right."

"No." Merlin called in protest. I was going to keep myself out of this, even though I was on Merlin's side, I didn't want to get involved just yet.

"Shut up, Merlin." Arthur said, staying calm and ignoring the fact that his servant was getting worked up.

"Can't you see what he's trying to do? He's trying to get rid of me, and if you weren't such a clotpole, you'd see that." I put my head in my free hand at what Merlin had just said, he was digging himself a deeper hole.

Clearly Arthur was take back by what he had said as well. "A what?"

"Clotpole." Cedric said. "He… he said clotpole."

"Cedric's right. He can look after me tonight." Arthur told him. "You can go home and think about whether you want to be my servant or not."

"But…"

"Go." Arthur said firmly. I knew he was in less than a good mood now, and I was sure it was not Merlin's fault. I hadn't trusted that man since I first laid eyes on him, and now I trusted him even less.

I watched as Cedric picked up Merlin's brown jacket, dusting it down and holding it out to him. After a moment he took it and walked out, leaving the three of us, and Nebula, still standing in the stable.

Now that everything had calmed down, I pulled Nebula further into the stable and tied him up. But something he kept kicking at drew my attention. On the ground by his hooves I saw a ball of something, something wrapped up in cloth. When I looked around, Cedric was staring at me, a fire burning in his eyes. I carried on with Nebula, pretending that I hadn't seen anything.

That was when I felt Arthur's hand on my arm. "Isabella, are you sure you are all right?" He asked me, the concern in his voice once more.

I turned and smiled at him. "Of course I am, Arthur. I had you and Nebula to protect me, didn't I?" I said, my smile turning into a grin.

"I still find it hard to believe that you are the only one he responds to." Arthur said, going to touch the horse, only for him to pull away and move his head towards me.

I chuckled a little. "Well, what can I say? He knows how to pick his friends, don't you boy?" I said, making a fuss of him. He neighed happily.

"We should head back now. Cedric, can finish what Merlin failed to achieve." Arthur said, taking my hand and leading me out of the stables. "I have no idea what has gotten into him recently."

"Arthur, I think maybe you are being a little hard on him." I told him, getting him to look at me. "Merlin is a loyal servant, and he would do anything for you. He's used to you working him to exhaustion, but he does not complain."

"Why are you defending him?" Arthur asked, clearly a little bemused at what I was sticking up for him.

"Because even though he is a servant, he is still a good man. He respects you as a Prince, a future King, and he trusts you like a friend. You need to remember that, Arthur. You have his loyalty and his trust, as you have mine."

I could see that he was thinking about what I had said as we walked back towards the castle. I was glad he was thinking about it, and not just dismissing it straight away. I just hoped that he realised that Merlin was loyal and trustworthy, and that Cedric really was up to something. My suspicions about him were growing now that I had found something odd in the stable. I didn't know much about things in that time, but it sure as hell shouldn't have been there. I knew I needed to tell Merlin about, and to let him know that I believed him, that I knew Cedric couldn't be trusted.

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**A/N: I know we had a lot of Isabella and how she was feeling and all that in this chapter, but there were things that needed to be gotten out of the way. **

**Once again I apologise for my strange updating schedule. I'm trying to get back on track and post the same time every week at the moment. I've over reached myself by having 5 stories going at the same time. **

**Thank you to everyone who has favourtied/followed. You guys are awesome. And a big thank you to everyone who has reviewed. You guys are fantastic! **

**So, all I ask is that you keep the reviews coming while I continue to type away and work on the next chapter. Same time next week! **

**Pippa.**


	15. Friendship and Trust

**A/N: There is a poll on my profile regarding to which 2 of my stories you would want me to continue the most. Come September I will be back at uni and very busy. So please go and vote so I know which ones to work hard on right now. **

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When we were back in the castle, I immediately broke away from Arthur. "I need to speak with Gaius, about my sleeping draught." I told him, giving him the most valid excuse I could to go down there.

"Of course, Isabella. Will I be seeing you any more today?" There was a glimmer of hope in the eyes of the prince.

"I believe I may be able to find the time to come and annoy you some more later, Prince Arthur. After all, I have made it my task to be as annoying and impossible as I can while I am here." I told him, a huge grin on my face.

"Well then, I look forward to it, my strange princess." Arthur replied, taking a hold of my hand and kissing the back of it lightly. I could feel the hotness spread up my neck and to my cheeks he continued to smile at me before letting go of my hand and walking away from me.

I admit, it took me a minute or so to compose myself and remember that I was going to go and visit Gaius, or actually Merlin, I had only used Gaius as an excuse. For some reason, there was a smile on my face as I hastily walked along the stone corridors of the castle where I eventually found myself standing outside of the physician's chamber.

"I just want Arthur to trust me." I hear Merlin say from the other side of the door. "And to see me for who I really am."

I decided to listen a little, before letting them know that I was there. Yes, I was eavesdropping, and yes, it is wrong, but I wanted to hear how Merlin really felt.

"One day he will." Gaius said, trying to assure him.

"When? Everything I do is for him and he just things I'm an idiot." I didn't like the way Merlin was talking about himself, and so I decided that I was going to just barge in there and tell him exactly what I thought of that.

The opening of the door made both the men look at me, but I didn't care. "Not everyone thinks you're an idiot, Merlin. I, for one, never have and never will think of you as an idiot, and neither will Gaius. Sometimes you may be clumsy, but never an idiot." I told him, making sure to keep my voice firm and strong.

"Princess Isabella is right. Now is not the time to be questioning these things, Merlin. I believe that you and Arthur are destined for greatness, and that your calling is to serve and protect him." Gaius told him after giving me a brief smile. I was glad that he had backed me up on that one, because it was true.

"It's hard." Merlin whined, like a little child.

"I know it's hard. But Camelot is in grave peril. I've translated the inscription." The old man said, taking a completely different turn with the conversation. "He who breaks my heart completes my work."

Both Merlin and I were a little confused at that. "What does it mean?"

Gaius looked from me and to Merlin. It was clear to me that he didn't really want me getting involved in it all. "Too late, Gaius, I'm already involved so you might as well just get on with it." I told him, sitting myself down and looking at him intensely, waiting for him to relent.

It didn't take long for that to happen. "Do you remember the stone in the tomb, how it glowed?" His question being directed at Merlin. I had never been in the tomb, but I had seen it in my dreams.

"Yeah. I've never seen a jewel like it." Merlin said. It much have been impressive, because I swear he was imagining it in his head.

"It's not a jewel…" I whispered, getting them to both look at me. "Sorry. I… I don't know why I said that. Sorry."

Gaius just looked a me, worry and concern etched on his face. "Isabella is right, that's because it's not a jewel, it's the soul of Cornelius Sigan." He said, making Merlin look at me with wide eyes as well.

"You think he's alive?" My warlock friend asked, pulling his eyes away from me and back onto Gaius.

"His soul is. But in order to truly live, a soul needs a body." Gaius told the pair of us.

"So, if the stone is removed from its setting, then the heart is broken and the soul is released?" Merlin asked, trying to get some clarification of what would happen and what he needed to be prepared for.

Gaius just nodded at him. "That's what I fear."

I cleared my throat, I had been silence for a few minutes, along with everyone else. "Gaius, my dreams…" He looked up at me, even more worry on his face. "You know who I saw, and what they were doing. Do you believe it to be coincidence?"

He let out a sigh before shaking his head at me. "No, I think there may be some truth to your dreams, Isabella." Straight away my eyes began filling with tears. There was no way I wanted there to be any truth in my dreams. None at all, not when people were going to be hurt, especially not when Arthur was going to get hurt.

"But I don't want them to be true, Gaius. I want them to be nothing more than simple dreams, or in most cases, nightmares." I said, trying to control my wavering voice. All the emotions were bubbling up inside of me now, knowing that it was possible that my dream could come true.

"Isabella, what else have you seen in your dreams?" Gaius asked me, taking a hold of one of my hands and trying to calm me.

I took a deep breath. "In one of them, Merlin was there, and he was standing in front of Cedric, that new servant that is trying to make Merlin look bad. Then there was this strange sort of mist, and then Merlin was on the ground, not moving." I had to whisper the last past, because I didn't want Merlin to worry, or to panic.

"But there have been more than one?" Gaius asked me, making me nod at him. "And were they different?" Again I nodded at him. "Tell me."

"The first time, Arthur was hurt, but not too badly. One of the stone gargoyles came to life, and it was attacking the city. Arthur and the knights were trying their best to destroy the beast, but it was conjured by strong magic. But then… the… there was another dream where Arthur was hurt more badly. He was lying on the ground, the blood pouring out." I said, chocking back a sob. "The gargoyle was about to deliver the fatal blow when I woke up."

I saw Gaius glance at Merlin, and they both shared a look. I was getting a little fed up with the pair of them trying to keep me out of the loop with all of this. I was just as worried and concerned as they were, but I was the one with the terrible nightmares, and I have every right to know what was going on.

"Gaius, you don't think…" Merlin said quietly, not even finishing his sentence.

The elderly man just nodded. "I fear so, Merlin."

"Can someone please, just tell me what is going on?" I asked them both, trying not to let that sob force its way up and out of my throat.

Gaius let out a sigh before turning to face me full on. "Isabella, it is highly possible that you are a seer." He told me, making me just looked at him blankly. "The things that you see in your dreams are flashes of the future. Many seers do not even realise that what they are seeing is the future." He explained to me.

"So, what you're saying, is that what I have dreamed, could be coming true?" The man nodded at me, and this time I couldn't hold it back anymore. I let the tears flow down my cheeks as I thought of everything that I had seen, and how much blood had been shed.

Merlin was quick to put an arm around me. "Isabella, I won't let anything happen to Arthur. We don't know if everything you saw is going to come true." He told me, trying to assure me.

I looked over at him, my vision blurring thanks to the water swimming in my eyes. "We both know that isn't true, Merlin. Please don't think that you can lie to me." I told him, taking a deep breath and wiping my eyes with the back of my hand. "I only came here to let Merlin know that I believed him, to let him know that I know all these things have not been his fault."

Gaius looked at me grimly. Clearly he hadn't expected me to take it all so badly, but then he hadn't been the one to have the dreams. "Merlin, maybe you should escort Princess Isabella to her chamber." Merlin nodded at the man and held a hand out, waiting for me to take it.

After a moment of hesitation, I allowed him to help me up and lead me towards the door. I followed Merlin like a zombie towards my chamber. I was paying no attention to anything around me, I was just blindly following him through the castle.

"Everything will be fine, Isabella." Merlin said, making me look up at him. I had kept my gaze focused on the floor beneath my feet as we had been walking. "I promise you, everything will be fine."

I forced myself to smile at him. "Of course it will. You know me, I worry over the smallest of things." I told him, trying not to let him see how worried I was still. "You better get back to Gaius, before Arthur notices you and gives you an earful for wandering around the castle."

He managed to smile at me as well. "Are you going to be okay?" He was still worried, but there was nothing anyone could do to stop that.

"I'll be fine, Merlin. I know where you are, so if anything happens, then I will let you know." I told him, putting my hand on the door to my chamber. "Now, disappear, Merlin. I'll speak with you later." He nodded at me before turning around and walking down the corridor.

I stayed standing there until he was out of sight before I actually entered my chamber. Everything that Gaius had just said was still running around in my mind. How could I be a seer? That was stupid and impossible. I knew I had some form of magic, my brother had told me as much, but seeing the future in my dreams? No, I couldn't believe that, I didn't want to believe that.

I headed straight over to my bed and threw myself on it, gazing up at the canopy and trying not to keep thinking about it all. I closed my eyes, willing myself to think of anything but those stupid dreams. But all I could see was Arthur, lying there and bleeding.

Lucky for me, I was disturbed from my own thoughts when someone knocked on my door. "Who is it?" I called, not bothering to move from my bed. If it were anyone but Arthur or Merlin, then I would simply tell them to go away.

"Isabella, it's Arthur."

I let out a sigh of relief, glad that I was him. "Come on in, Arthur." I called to him, still refusing to move.

I didn't even look at the door opened and he stepped into the room. "Isabella, is everything all right?" He asked, walking over to the bed when I was lying and staring at the material above the bed.

"Everything is fine, Arthur. What have you been up to?" I asked him, doing my best not to look at him. I didn't want him to see that I had been crying, he would just worry even more and I couldn't be dealing with that. I felt guilty enough as it was with him always caring and worrying over me.

"I have been speaking with my father." He told me, sitting down on the bed. "Now, what's wrong?" He asked me, just a little more firmly. He could just read me too easily and I hated it.

I let out a sigh. "Nothing is wrong, Arthur."

But he just didn't believe me. "Isabella, look at me, and tell me that nothing is wrong." My eyes flickered in his direction, but I still refused to look. "Isabella, please."

Reluctantly I turned my head to the side and saw him sitting there. Straight away that stupid dream came straight back to me, and I felt my eyes filling up with tears once more. I blinked rapidly, trying to clearly them, willing them so hard not to fall. "Arthur…" I whispered, unable to really say anything else.

He didn't say anything, he just clambered onto the bed some more and wrapped his arms around me tightly. The moment he did, I broke down once more. I just couldn't stop it, no matter how much I tried to.

I don't think Arthur really knew what to do or say to me. And I couldn't believe how much I was crying and just losing it in front of him. I hated looking so weak, but with those dreams and then what Gaius had said, it just scared me.

"Come on, Isabella, everything is okay." He whispered to me, trying to calm me down.

"I'm sorry, Arthur." I mumbled, really trying to pull myself together and stop the tears. "God, I'm a right mess, aren't I?" I said, making him chuckle a little.

"You want to tell me what happened?" He asked me, pulling back a little and brushing my hair away from my face.

"It's nothing, just these stupid nightmares. They're starting to get to me, that's all." I told him, letting out a long breath.

"They are just nightmares, Isabella, that's all." Oh, if only they were. I used to think that they were, that it was just my overactive imagination, but no, Gaius had now planted it into my head that they could come true.

"Yeah, I know. It doesn't make them feel any less real and frightening." I knew that I couldn't tell him the truth, for a start, it would make him suspicious if what I told him did happen.

"Isabella, you have no need to be frightened. You know I would never let anything happen to you, I will not let anyone harm you." I could tell from the tone that he used that he was serious, but it wasn't me that I was worried about.

"And what about you, Arthur? What if I'm not worried about someone harming me, but harming you?" I asked him, finally managing to control my crying and finding it easier to speak.

His blue eyes met my amber ones. "Is that what you're dreams are about? Is that why you are so worried?" Arthur asked me. I simply bit my lip and nodded at him. "Isabella, you shouldn't worry about me. I know how to look after myself, nothing is going to happen."

"Say's you." I mumbled. "You're not indestructible, Arthur, you hurt and bleed just like everyone else." I told him, trying to get my point across at the fact that there is every chance that something could happen to him. "I… I don't want anything to happen to you."

"Isabella, you worry too much." He told me quietly, still holding me tightly.

"What, and you don't? I know you're always worrying about me, and you really shouldn't." I told him, still finding it strange how much he seemed to worry about me every day.

"I am allowed to worry about you, Isabella." Arthur told me. "You have an insane uncle who is out to kill you and your brothers so that he can claim the throne for himself. You have a strange obsession with being attacked by bandits, and you have a bond with a rather dangerous horse."

"It's not my fault that Nebula likes me over everyone else." I muttered, causing Arthur to laugh a little. "Don't laugh at me." I said, giving him a little shove.

"No, I'm not laughing at you, Isabella. I'm laugh because what you said is true, he does like you over everyone else. I've grown up with horses, and I have never known a more unruly and dangerous horse at him. And yet you come along and he takes to you in an instant."

I looked over at him. "If you knew he was so dangerous, why did you want me to ride him?" That was something I was curious about.

He frowned at me at he thought about it. "Honesty, I'm not sure. He was making a fuss that day, he didn't want to be left behind. I didn't plan on you riding him, but the pair of you bonded in an instant and it was decided." Arthur told me.

I couldn't stop myself from chuckling that time. "Sounds like he knew I was coming and wanted to meet me."

"You know, that really wouldn't surprise me. Although I was surprise when he didn't run off with the rest of the horses and decided to stop with you. It was like he was trying to protect you." I had to agree with him there, it did seem a little odd, and it did feel like he was there trying to protect me as well.

"Well, he just knows we make a good team."

I saw Arthur's face light up, and I just knew he had an idea just pop into that handsome head of his. "How about we go out for a ride tomorrow? See just how good a team you and Nebula really make?" He asked.

I looked at him, smirking a little. "Are you issuing me with a challenge, my dear Prince Arthur? Because if you are, then let me assure you, I will accept it." I told him, watching the glint in his blue eyes.

"You think you can take on me and one of the fastest, strongest horses in the kingdom?" It was clear that the prince was underestimating me.

"Arthur, I have been riding horses my entire life, and beating you in a race would be an absolute pleasure." Oh yes, I was going to enjoy this.

A smirk grew on his face as well. "You think you can beat me? Really?" I just shrugged at him, I didn't know, but I would sure as hell give it a damn good try. "Well then, tomorrow we shall ride out, and see which team is the best." He told me, before throwing me completely into confusion by leaning forward and pressing his lips against mine.

He seemed to be doing that a lot recently, and I admit, I was really starting to enjoy it. But there was still that part of me that was telling me it was wrong, no matter how much I liked it, kissing the Prince of Camelot was wrong in my mind.

"So, are you okay now?" Arthur asked me, gently running his hand through my messy hair.

I nodded at him. "Yeah, I'm okay, thanks. I guess I'm just having an off day, much like Merlin is." Arthur let out a sigh. "I'm sorry, but you were rather harsh with him, you didn't even let him speak. And besides, he didn't fall asleep willingly." I told him, making him look at me curiously.

"And how could you know that?" He asked, entwining his fingers through mine, not that either of us were really that bothered by the action.

"Uh, well, when I was tying Nebula back up, he found something." Now Arthur looked even more confused than before. "He was kicking at something on the ground, it looked like it may have been some kind of… I don't know, I'm not very good with my knowledge of things like this."

"Okay, well describe it to me. What did it look like?" I was stunned that he had even asked me that, I thought he would have just dismissed it straight away.

"It was like a ball, something wrapped up in cloth. When Nebula kicked it, it was pretty firm, but there was something strange about it. I mean, what was it doing in the stables in the first place. And did you not notice that musky smell? You don't get that in stables either." I told him, trying to get him to think about it.

And he was thinking, I could see that he was. "Why didn't you say anything at the time?"

Ah, of course he was going to ask me that one. "Well, it's just… when I turned around to tell you about it, Cedric was looking at me, as if daring me to say something. I don't know, Arthur, I don't like him and I don't want to be anywhere near him." And that was true, I didn't like him and I wanted to be kept as far away from him as possible.

Arthur let out a sigh. "Isabella, what do you and Merlin have against the man? What has he ever done to you?" Apart from make my friend look like a fool? I couldn't really mention any of that to him.

"Arthur, there is something about him I simply do not trust. And the way he looked at me, I actually thought that if I did do something, he would want to come and harm me as well." I said. "I don't want him anywhere near me, Arthur. So do not expect me to be dining with you if he shall be there." I think that was a very valid warning to him. If he wanted me to eat properly, I would eat with him, and I wouldn't eat if he was there. So now, Arthur had a choice, me or Cedric.

"You really dislike the man that much?" He asked me, sounding a little surprised and disappointed at the same time.

"Yes, Arthur, I do. With everything that has happened to me, there are few people that I trust. Those that I trust the most here in Camelot are you and Merlin." I had to tell him that, because he needed to remember that there was still the threat of my uncle, even if no one had any updates on what he was doing or where he was. I still had to be careful about who I trusted.

The prince nodded at me. "I'm sorry, Isabella, I didn't think of it like that. You're right. Would it be acceptable for Cedric to serve dinner, and then leave? I shall come and collect you once he has left my chamber?" I could see that his eyes were pleading with me to accept this offer of his.

I smiled at him a little. "Of course, Arthur. I just do not want to be in the same room as him. I shall dine with you, but only if it's just us in the room."

A smile grew on his face. "Of course, just us, Isabella, I promise." I was happy with that, I could cope with that compromise.

"Then I accept and I shall join you for dinner. Now, do you not have things to be getting on with?" I asked him, wondering if I was keeping him from anything important. I seemed to be rather good at taking up his time and keeping him from his duties.

"No, I had planned on spending the day with you. So, is there anything you wish to do, my strange Princess?" He asked me, still holding onto my hand.

"Well, since I was rudely awoken this morning, I may just sleep the rest of the day away." I told him, trying not to let a smirk form on my face.

Arthur raised an eyebrow at me. "Oh? You were rudely awoken, were you?" He questioned. "And what is the most appropriate way to wake you that is not rude?"

"Not having someone to wake me up at all is preferable." I informed him quickly. There always seemed to be some reason why I woke in the mornings, whether it was Merlin making too much noise, a stupid dream, or occasionally Arthur.

"Isabella, if you sleep now, you will not sleep tonight." Arthur kindly decided to remind me.

But I was once again quick to reply. "I doubt I am going to sleep much tonight as it is."

Straight away his face fell as he realised what I meant by that. "I'm sorry, I didn't really think about that." He said, looking at me with a sad expression on his face.

All I could do was shrug my shoulders at him. "It doesn't matter. But honestly, an hour to two really would be nice right about now." I admitted to him.

"Okay, but only a two. Then you are going to get up, take a walk with me before we return for dinner. How does that sound?"

"Sounds like a good plan, Arthur. Are you going to be my giant teddy bear while I sleep again?" I asked him, before seeing the look of utter confusion on his face. "Uh, you know, where I grabbed onto your arm and hugged onto it for dear life?"

That time he chuckled. "You really do come up with the strangest things, Isabella. Do you want me to stay here?"

I thought about it for a moment, and yes, I did want him to stay. "Well, you don't have to. But who's to say I won't lock the door after you leave so that you can't wake me up again?" I asked him, a smirk on my face.

"That settles it then. I'm staying right here." He told me, before lying down and making himself more comfortable beside me. I found myself shifting on the bed, getting a little closer to him and he put his arm around me. Back in my time, the time I came from, this was nothing. But I know, that if we were caught, it would be a scandal, only I didn't care, because with Arthur there, maybe the nightmares would stop.

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**A/N: Well, another chapter done, I hope you all liked it and sorry for any missed spelling or grammar errors. **

**I really do appreciate reviews, it's always nice to know that people are reading my stories and enjoying them, otherwise I feel the need to give up (Another reason why there is a poll on my page). So please, feel free to leave a review, I do read them all. **

**I'm going to shut up now and let you go vote and possibly review. Remember, if you don't vote, then it could be the story you like the most that I don't update!**

**Pippa.**


	16. Gifts and Promises

**A/N: The poll is still on my profile regarding to which 2 of my stories you would want me to continue the most. Come September I will be back at uni and very busy. So please go and vote so I know which ones to work hard on right now.**

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For once, neither Merlin nor Arthur had come to wake me up, instead it was the sound of the warning bells, ringing throughout the whole of the castle that had dragged me from my sleep. I let out a groan as I rolled over on the bed, just wishing the noise would shut up.

I pulled myself over to the window, knowing that there was no chance I would be getting any more sleep with the sound of the bells. I saw a few guards rushing around outside, but there didn't seem to be anything that serious happening.

That was when there came a knocking at me door, and a voice floated through. "Isabella? Are you awake?"

I couldn't help myself and rolled my eyes at the closed door as I went to open it. "No, I am quite able to sleep through all this racket." That was when I noticed the worried look on his face. "Arthur, what's happened?" I said as I stepped away from the door to let him come inside.

The prince let out a sigh. "The tomb that has recently uncovered has been broken into. The place was ransacked and the largest stone is missing."

Straightaway I tensed up, knowing who had stole it, and what had happened to that person. Gaius was right, I was a seer and everything I had seen in my dreams was about to come true. "I am sure you will find the person responsible for it, Arthur." I said, trying to reassure him slightly.

"Come stay with me in my room for a while. I don't want you to be left on your own." Arthur said, holding he hand out towards me. "Please?"

All I could do was smile at him, there was no way I was going to be able to refuse him, even if I wanted to. "Of course I will, Arthur. How can I possibly refuse?" The prince just shook his head at me, with a smile on his face, as we went to his room.

We hadn't been there long, he was sitting at his desk working through some papers, while I was gazing out of the window, and Merlin came bursting in. "Cedric is possessed by an evil spirit." He told Arthur.

He just looked up at him in shock and confusion. "What?"

"He tried to steal the jewel, but it wasn't a jewel, it was a soul of an ancient sorcerer Sigan." Merlin explained. By this point I had turned and we giving him my full attention rather than what was happening outside.

"Merlin, have you been on the cider?" Arthur asked him, trying to figure out why Merlin was making such a strange accusation.

"Please, listen to me. Camelot is in mortal danger. Sigan is using Cedric's body to take his revenge." Every word Merlin was saying was making me more and more nervous. He and Gaius had already warned me that my dreams are most likely to come true, and ire ally didn't want them to. But with everything Merlin was saying, they were bound to.

"This nonsense isn't helping you keep your job." Arthur told him before turning to look at me. "The only reason I haven't dismissed you yet is Isabella. She seems to have respect for you."

"You are not listening to me." Merlin shouted, clearly getting to the end of his tether.

"If you're going to shout anyway…" Arthur said, before standing up and calling in Cedric. "Will you escort Merlin from the palace?"

What happened next had me standing glued to the spot. Merlin actually tackled Cedric to the floor. Inside, I was cheering for him, because I knew that Cedric really did deserve it. It was a rather funny sight, and I could see that Arthur was not impressed, but trying his hardest not to enjoy it.

That was until Merlin knocked him to the ground. Lucky for me, I had kept out of the way and stayed by the window, where I found it to be relatively safe. But by that point Arthur had really had enough and pounced on Merlin. "You've gone too far this time, Merlin!" He shouted at him, holding my friends arms behind his back. "You can spend a few days cooling off in the cells." He told him, before calling for the guards to take him away.

"He's going to destroy Camelot!" Merlin shouted, in one last vain attempt to get Arthur to listen to him.

I stayed standing by the window, waiting for Arthur to realise that he had left me in the room with Cedric. I don't even think Cedric remembered that I was standing there, since he was mumbling something to himself.

I was grateful when Arthur saw me standing at the window, completely frozen and glaring at the other man in the room. His eyes widened as he suddenly realised what he had let happen. "Cedric, you can continue with your chores now." He said, quickly rushing over to where I was waiting.

"Of course, Sire." Cedric said, before bowing and creeping out of the room.

I gave Arthur my best annoyed glare as he came over to me. "Isabella, I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking, I didn't mean to leave you alone with him."

"You know, being left with that man was bad enough. But the way you treated Merlin, our friend, that's something else entirely." I told him.

"Don't tell me you believe him? Why are you always sticking up for him?" Arthur asked me in frustration.

"What reason do I have not to believe him? When has Merlin ever lied to me?" I asked him, watching him carefully. "He is my friend, Arthur, someone I know I can talk to. He treats me like a normal person, and he isn't scared to tell me what he thinks."

"Isabella, he attacked Cedric."

"Yes, because that guy is a total creep and can't be trusted." I growled at him, completely forgetting that I needed to control my emotions. "Just you wait, Arthur. You will see him for his true colours, and Camelot will be in danger. Maybe then, you will learn to trust Merlin."

I saw Arthur let out a sigh as he ran his hand through his blonde hair. "I just don't understand you, Isabella."

All I could do was look at him. 'Then maybe you should stop trying to understand me, and listen to me." I told him, before opening the door and leaving him alone in his chamber.

Ii was fuming about what he had done to Merlin, but was proud that I had been able to control my own emotions so that nothing suspicious or terrible happened. I was just going to have to sit in my own chamber for a while until I had cooled off. Then I would go and see Merlin, before convincing Arthur to let him out.

I must have drifted off, because the next thing I knew it as dark outside, and there seemed to be some commotion out there as well. "Oh no. It's started." I said, watching as the winged creatures flew around, terrorizing people, hurting them, and screeching. The towns people were absolutely petrified, and there was nothing I could think of doing to help.

A moment later, my door bust open and I saw Arthur standing there, his armour covering his body. "Isabella, are you all right?" He asked me, his eyes quickly scanning over me.

"I'm fine, Arthur. But the people aren't. Go, help them." I told him, turning and looking back out of the window again.

"No, I'm taking you somewhere safe." He said grasping my hand tightly and dragging me through the castle and towards one of the main halls that was already filling with other people. "You are to stay here. Do you understand, Isabella? Do not leave this room." I could only nod at him, there had been so much warning and concern in his voice, that I didn't dare defy him.

I watched him charge out of the room, regrouping with his knights. They were going to take on the beast alone, with nothing but swords and bravery. I knew that they needed something more, they need magic whether they liked it or not. "Come on, Merlin. Time to come and save the day." I mumbled to myself, as I watched injured people being dragged into the room.

My eyes fell upon Gaius, tending to someone. "Gaius, what can I do to help?"

"Princess Isabella, I don't think…"

"Gaius, I am not going to just stand here and do nothing." I said, cutting him off. "What can I do to help?"

He gave in and sighed at me. "Help to bring in some more of the wounded. We need to get them all inside as quickly as possible." I nodded at him, hitched up my dress, and made my way to where they were trying to get everyone inside.

But that was when my heart stopped as my eye fell upon Arthur's body. Lying on the ground. I didn't know what to do, or what to think, but I was glad when he suddenly started moving and stood up. It appeared that my feet had taken me outside further, as I ended up standing right in front of Arthur.

"Isabella, what are you doing out here?" He asked me, clearly not impressed. "I thought I told you not to leave that room. That thing could've killed you."

Suddenly I saw the winged beast out of the corner of my eye. "Yeah, and it still might." I said, throwing myself at Arthur and knocking him to the ground. I landed on top of him, and it wasn't very comfy due to his heavy armour. "Uh, sorry." I mumbled, quickly pushing myself off him and forcing my eyes to look anywhere other than at his.

"No, my pleasure." He said, before quickly pulling himself up as well and grabbing onto my hand tightly.

We both headed back inside, and I took Arthur straight to the make shift medical area where everyone was trying to do something to help. "I'll get something to stop the bleeding." I said to him, sitting him down and trying my best to keep it together.

"Isabella." He said, latching onto my hand as I tried to walk away from him. "I just wanted to say… just, uh… you always surprise me."

I simply smiled at him. "Well, of course I do. I am your strange princess after all." I told him, giving him my best smile. "I'll be back in a minute, Arthur. Just stay put."

"What, like you did?" He said, making me chuckle a little.

I held my head up high as I looked at him. "If I had stayed put, you might very well have been dead, sire." I reminded him.

"I know. Thank you." There was a genuine smile on his face.

I smile back at him, before going and grabbing some things to clean up the wound. It didn't look too bad from what I could see, nowhere near as bad as what I had seen in my dream. Just as I was heading back over to the prince, I looked up at saw Merlin.

He looked right at me and put a finger to his lips. _"How did you get out?"_ I asked him, pretending that I hadn't seen him and heading over to Arthur.

"_Blew the door off. How bad is it?"_ He asked me.

"_There's too many of them, Merlin. There is no way Arthur and the knights are going to be able to hold them off for much longer. It's all down to you." _I told him, just as the king came rushing into the room.

"Arthur." King Uther called, moving quickly and swiftly to his son's side.

"It's nothing." Arthur called to him, as I stood with Morgana, cleaning it as best we could.

"Have we driven the creatures out?" The King asked. I could tell by the way he was acting that he was desperate.

"They have control of the lower town. The market has been all but destroyed." Arthur told him as I wrapped a bandage around the section of his armour that had been pierced.

"How many dead?"

"Too many to number." The prince told his father. I could tell by the way Arthur was breathing that he was in a lot of pain, and I wished that there were something I could do to help him.

Uther seemed to be thinking about something, before he turned to face his son again. "I'm sealing the citadel." He announced.

"You can't" Arthur shouted at him. I knew he wasn't happy with what his father had said, neither was I, but I knew that the King was only doing what he thought was best for his people.

"I have no choice. I have to protect those who have a chance. If I don't, we will all fall." Uther said, as Arthur pulled away from my hands and forcing himself to stand, clenching his teeth in pain. "Where are you going?"

"There are people trapped on the drawbridge." Arthur told him, walking as best he could towards the doors.

"I forbid you."

"I'm not leaving them to die." Arthur said, really not caring about what his father way saying. And he liked to moan at me about not doing what I was told? He was determined to disobey his own father, the king.

"It's suicide!" Uther shouted at him.

"It's my duty to Camelot, and to myself." Arthur told him, his voice full of fire and determination, as he headed towards his waiting knights, leaving his father to stand there in shock.

All of us were nervous, which was no surprise. Those beasts were terrifying, and strong. I had to shake myself out of my thoughts, as I started dwelling on the stupid dreams that I had been having of this day.

I looked over to where Merlin had been, and saw that he was no longer there, but Gaius seemed to be talking to the wall. "I have to help Arthur." I heard Merlin whispering to the old man.

"Merlin, Sigan's power is far beyond yours." Gaius told him, just as I made it over to the pair.

"I don't have a choice."

"Merlin, Sigan is immortal." I said, leaning against the wall, taking both the men by surprise. "If you face him, well, it doesn't bare thinking about. You're going to need some extra help. From someone much older, and wiser than anyone else." I hinted at him.

Merlin just looked at me, confused about where I had come from, and who I was talking about. "What do you mean?"

I looked at Gaius, the old man knew who I was talking about. "The Great Dragon." He told my warlock friend.

"You know that… that I used to visit him?" Merlin asked the old man in shock.

"Well if course he did, Merlin. He isn't stupid, plus you and that dumb dragon are both creatures of magic." I told him, still remembering the time that I had met the silly dragon.

Merlin just looked at me, probably unable to believe what I had just said to him. "He helps no one but himself."

I let out a sigh. "Merlin, if you don't do something, Arthur is going to die. There is no way he is going to give up, he will fight till his last breath. Is that what you want?" I asked him. "I know he is pig headed, stubborn, and a complete idiot. But Arthur has a good heart."

I swear, I could see the cogs turning in that head of his, before he quickly grabbed my wrist and pulled me into the dark alcove with him. "You're coming with me." He told me, before creeping back up the stairs, keeping to the shadows.

I didn't say a word as we made our way to the dragons cave. "Hello? Hello?" Merlin called as we stood there, waiting and looking for the dragon. "Please, I need your help!"

"You told me I would not see you again." The dragon said, looking at Merlin as he landed on his usual rock.

"I'm not here for myself. I'm here for Arthur." Merlin told him. I knew he was scared, and desperate, because she was still holding onto my hand, which I found a little strange.

"Arthur's path lies with yours. You have made it clear that you do not walk in step with me." The dragon said, before looking over at me. "The young Princess, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"The same reason as Merlin, I'm here for Arthur. I still don't know where my path lies, but I know one thing, I would do anything to protect him." I told him, meaning every single word I said.

I was pretty sure that the damn dragon was smiling at me, again. "Perhaps you have found your path." I rolled my eyes at him, of course he was going to be cryptic and not bother to give me a straight answer.

"You cannot want Cornelius Sigan to win." Merlin called, getting back to the matter at hand. "You're not evil."

The dragon's gaze shifted from me and to the warlock beside me. "At lest Sigan knows where his loyalties lie. You have shown that you do not."

"So you will let Camelot fall?" Merlin asked, clearly believe that the dragon really would allow that to happen.

"I did not say that." Kilgharrah said, remaining completely and utterly calm and composed.

"Then you will help me?" I could see his eyes light up a little, at the hope that the dragon really would help to stop Sigan and save Arthur and Camelot.

"To defeat Sigan, you will need a spell more powerful than anything you now." The dragon told Merlin. I knew things were about to get serious, and I had finally managed to get my hand back from Merlin.

"Please, I have to try." I really wanted to tune them both out, because I really just wanted to get back up to where the fighting was, and make sure that Arthur was okay.

I let my mind wander, until I heard the dragon asked to be released, and for Merlin to actually make a promise to set the dragon free. "You made a promise, young warlock, and one day I shall keep you to it." The dragon told him. "Young Princess, I have a gift for you."

I just looked at him and shook my head. "Uh, no. That's okay. I don't need gifts or anything." I said, backing away a little. I turned around, looking for Merlin, only to find that he was already gone.

"You have shown your loyalty to both Arthur and to Merlin. You are willing to stand up to the prince to defend the young warlock." He told me, sound a little… proud. "And you have admitted that you would do anything to protect the prince."

"Yeah? So?" I said, not really getting what he was trying to say. "Arthur is my friend, and so is Merlin. They both have feelings and I respect that. I don't like the way that Arthur treats him at times, and no, I'm not afraid to tell him that either."

"You have proven you're worthy, Isabella."

"Worthy of what?" I asked him nervously. I wasn't entirely sure I liked what was going on.

He chuckled a little. "Of your magic." He told me. "Now you must go, your friends need you." The dragon said, before I felt a rush of windy blowing around me. I covered my eyes with my arm, trying to protect myself as it turned into a gale.

A moment later, it had died down, and I moved my arm, opening my eyes and seeing Arthur lying on the ground. Merlin was there, confronting Cedric who was possessed by Sigan.

"You'd rather be a servant?" Cedric asked him, as I rushed over to Arthur's side.

"Come on, Arthur. Wake up you stupid idiot." I said, shaking him a little.

"Better to serve a good man than to rule with an evil one." I heard Merlin saying. I quickly looked over, I didn't like the way things were going, it looked too much like my nightmares.

"So be it. If you will not join me, I will become you and your power will be harnessed to my will." Cedric said, before the man collapsed to the ground.

"I hope you have a plan." I called over to my warlock friend, as he stood there, while a blue swirl of mist left Cedric and headed towards Merlin.

"Look after Arthur." He told me, before he started casting a spell.

I held onto Arthur's hand tightly, squeezing my eyes shut, praying with every fibre in my body that Merlin would be okay and that Arthur wasn't as badly hurt as I thought. I knew he was injured, I could see he was. _"I believe in you, Merlin. You are so much more than just a servant." _I called to him.

My eyes opened as Merlin's stopped speaking. I looked over at him, now lying on his side, shaking and convulsing. "No, Merlin!" I shouted, rushing over to his side. Too much had happened, too many people had been injured. "Come on, Merlin. Wake up. For God sake, wake up!" I shouted at him, before hearing Gaius calling out.

Suddenly Merlin moved, gasping for breath. "Merlin? Are you… are you okay?" I asked him nervously. A smile broke onto his face, and I knew everything was going to be just fine.

"You need to stay with Arthur, he needs you." Merlin told me, helping me up.

I nodded at him and went over to the prince, kneeling down on the cold ground beside him and grasping his hand tightly once more. "Come on, you arrogant prince. If you don't wake up, I swear, I will slap you." He still didn't move, and so I done what I swore to do, I slapped him across the face.

His eyes shot open and those blue orbs of his focused on me. "Isabella, what are you doing out here? I told you to stay inside, where it's safe." He moaned at him.

I couldn't help but smile at him. "Arthur, when do I ever listen to you?" I could feel myself starting to relax. Merlin had done it, he had saved Arthur, and he had saved Camelot once more.

Slowly the prince began to sit up, his eyes still locked with mine. "You really are impossible."

I chuckled a little. No one had ever called me impossible until I had met him, and now he just never seemed to stop. But I was impossible, because I was from a completely different time, where things were so different. "And you wouldn't want me any other way, would you?" I asked him, before throwing my arms around his neck. "I thought you were going to die, Arthur." I whispered to him, before pushing him away and whacking his arm. "Don't you ever, ever, do anything like that again."

All the prince could do was smirk at me, before he pulled me back towards him, taking me by surprise. "So, you were worried about me?"

I rolled my eyes at him. "Well of course I was bloody worried about you, you idiot. You could have been killed. You tried to take on an evil sorcerer by yourself, and all his flying minions."

"So, you do actually care about me then?"

I swallowed the lump that was forming in my throat. "Of course I care about you, Arthur."

The prince didn't reply to me, he just pulled me that last little bit towards him, making his lips crash against mine. I found myself completely relaxing, my hand working it's way through his blonde hair. I had to stop the tears that were building from falling. What if he had died? What if Merlin had died? I had to force it all out of my mind, because I didn't want to think of what could have happened, because they were both safe.

"Uh, we should probably go inside now." I told him, shivering a little as a cold breeze picked up around us. "And you need to get Merlin back. You never should have let him go like that in the first place. You were a total idiot." I told him, as he helped me up.

I heard the prince let out a sigh. "I will speak with him later, but right now, I need to get you inside." He said, making me look at him. "Isabella, you are freezing."

"No, it's just a little cold out here." I told him, as we made our way into the castle.

The moment we stepped inside, after having the guards remove the barricade from the door to let us in, I felt my head start to swim. "Isabella?" Arthur called to me, but his voice seemed so far away. "Isabella, are you all right?"

I didn't manage to reply to him, as my head started spinning even more, and I felt my legs give way beneath me. At least I could rest knowing that Arthur, Merlin and Camelot were safe now. Sigan was gone the tomb would be buried once more, and no one would speak of it again. The monsters were gone, and the city could begin to rebuild what was damaged in the attack. I was able to rest knowing that for a while, everything would be fine.

* * *

**A/N: I'm sorry for the long wait for this chapter. My head hasn't really been in it recently. But I've managed to finish that episode now, so I'm going to start working on the next one soon. **

**Either way, I hope you all enjoyed it. There's going to be a lot more Merlin and Isabella moments coming up now. You'll soon see and understand why. **

**Anyway, thank you to everyone who has followed/favourited, you guys are awesome. And to those who have reviewed, you guys are super awesome. So reviews are most appreciated, I do enjoy reading them. **

**Pippa. **


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